Menendez Demands Stop to Third Country Deportations by Trump Administration

Effort Follows Deportation of Menendez's Constituent, Adriana Quiroz Zapata, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Rob Menendez demanded a stop to third country deportations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC") and other countries by the Trump Administration. Menendez called on Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") Senior Officer David Venturella to halt this practice, provide assurances no further removals will take place to countries where DHS later claims they cannot retrieve deported individuals from, and to stop the use of third country deportations to further President Trump's mass deportation agenda.

The effort follows the Trump Administration's deportation of Adriana Quiroz Zapata, Congressman Menendez's constituent and a Colombian native protected under the Convention Against Torture, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In the letter, Menendez stated:

"It is both morally and logistically indefensible to forcibly remove individuals to countries from which the Administration is unwilling to return them, even when such return is ordered by the courts. I urge DHS to immediately suspend any plans to deport individuals to the DRC or to any third country destination that the Administration claims is not operationally viable for returns, including those affected by public health emergencies such as Ebola outbreaks."

"I have seen the consequences of these illegal practices firsthand. My constituent, Adriana Zapata, was deported to the DRC in violation of the law and the Congolese government's documented refusal. Since her forcible removal to a country that is unable to provide baseline humanitarian protections, Adriana has faced arbitrary detention, medical deterioration, and continued pressure from Congolese and Colombian officials to relinquish her Convention Against Torture protections and agree to refoulement to Colombia," Menendez continued.

"If the Trump Administration truly considers conditions in certain countries so severe as to preclude safe return, it cannot simultaneously argue that deporting our community members to those same countries is safe or justified. DHS must halt any such removals immediately, provide clear assurances that no one will be removed to locations from which the Trump Administration claims safe return is not possible, and cease the use of third country deportations to further the President's mass deportation agenda. The Trump Administration bears responsibility for the harms Adriana and other removed individuals continue to endure in the DRC and other third countries. I urge you to promptly address this urgent matter, and I look forward to your response," Menendez concluded.

Menendez is demanding that DHS and ICE:

• Halt third country removals to countries where DHS and ICE claim to not be able to facilitate a safe return in response to court orders;
• Provide clear assurances that no one will be removed to location where the Trump Administration claims safe return is not possible; and
• Cease the use of third country deportations to further President Trump's deportation agenda.

Since coming to Congress, Rob Menendez has been a leader on fighting for immigrant rights. Menendez has fought to facilitate the return of Adriana Quiroz Zapata for over a year, and attended a court hearing in her case in Washington, D.C. after her wrongful deportation.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

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