Former President Donald Trump has recently revived a series of unsupported allegations suggesting that African countries, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, have been “emptying out their prisons” to send criminals to the United States. These assertions, which have been a part of Trump’s broader criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, have been met with categorical denials from the governments involved and a lack of corroborative evidence from various organizations and experts.
Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, spokesperson for the Democratic Republic of Congo, has unequivocally rejected Trump’s assertions, stating, “Everything he is saying isn’t true.” Further, he has urged Trump to cease spreading these stories, noting their detrimental impact on the country’s reputation. Serge Mombouli, the ambassador of the Republic of Congo to the U.S., has dismissed the claims as well, affirming that there is no factual basis to support such statements.
A thorough review conducted by experts on both Congos and multiple organizations in the U.S. has turned up no evidence to bolster Trump’s claims. “I’ve not heard anything about emptying of Congolese prisons,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director for Human Rights Watch, regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo. Amnesty International’s Abdoulaye Diarra, who researches the Republic of Congo, also confirmed the absence of any such occurrences.
While Trump has leveraged these stories in his critique of President Joe Biden’s immigration handling, official data provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not reflect a substantial influx of Congolese migrants, let alone those with criminal backgrounds. During the first four months of the 2024 fiscal year, encounters with individuals from the two Congos at the southern U.S. border numbered only 320—a stark contrast to Trump’s depiction of a “very big” population arriving from these nations.
Moreover, Trump’s allegations are not exclusively aimed at African countries. He has historically made similar unfounded claims regarding other nations sending their undesirable individuals to the U.S. as migrants. His pattern of evolving these tales over time, often without providing sources, has been noted. This includes previous claims about Mexico during his 2016 presidential campaign and about mental health institutions in South America during the 2023 campaign.
Relevant articles:
– ‘Everything he is saying isn’t true’: Congolese governments denounce Trump’s baseless stories about emptied prisons
– Trump has a bunch of new false claims. Here’s a guide., The Washington Post, Thu, 14 Mar 2024 10:00:00 GMT
– Trump Repeats Many Claims in Fox News Town Hall, FactCheck.org, Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT