Burundi’s National Observatory for the Fight Against Transnational Crime (ONLCT Où est ton frère?) has voiced deep concerns over the deportation of Burundian migrants from the United States, urging government intervention to protect their rights and prevent further irregular migration.
In a statement issued Saturday, ONLCT expressed shock over the U.S. government’s decision to expel 462 Burundian migrants “without trial”. According to the observatory, these individuals entered the U.S. using Kenyan passports after transiting through Nairobi, where they had discarded their Burundian passports to assume Kenyan identities.
“Once in the U.S., they allegedly discarded their Kenyan passports again, seeking refugee status as Kenyan nationals—an attempt to secure American citizenship,” ONLCT stated in a press release.
ONLCT says that among Burundians subject to deportation, 11 have already landed in Nairobi, where Kenyan judicial authorities have detained them for questioning over their alleged fraudulent entry into the U.S.
ONLCT urges the Burundian government to closely monitor the returnees’ situation to ensure “they are treated with dignity and respect for human rights”. The observatory also calls for a regional coalition within the East African Community (EAC) to combat human trafficking, warning that organized networks continue to exploit vulnerable migrants across the region.
Meanwhile, Burundi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced earlier this week that the government will receive the deported migrants, with Foreign Minister Albert Shingiro emphasizing the need to uphold human rights during the repatriation process. Following a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Burundi, Shingiro said that while Burundi respects U.S. immigration policies, it expects deportations to be carried out “lawfully” and “humanely.”
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