A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to return a Colombian woman to the United States after she was deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that had refused to accept her. The deportation of Adriana María Quiroz Zapata was deemed 'likely illegal' by US District Judge Richard Leon in a ruling issued on Wednesday.
Medical Concerns and Legal Ruling
Quiroz Zapata, 55, suffers from diabetes and a thyroid condition. The judge noted that she 'has been sent to a country that refused to accept her because they cannot provide sufficient medical care.' As a result, she faces a daily risk of medical complications, including death. While in detention, Quiroz Zapata developed black spots on her back and foot, her skin began to peel, and her nails blackened, according to a court declaration provided by her lawyer, Lauren O'Neal. 'She's not doing well and does worry that she's going to die,' O'Neal said.
Deportation and Detention Conditions
Quiroz Zapata entered the US from Mexico in August 2024 and was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. After deportation, she was placed in a hotel in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. The hotel gates are locked, and she is rarely allowed out, only with supervision. She is among thousands of immigrants living legally in the US, awaiting rulings on asylum claims, who were suddenly issued deportation orders to countries where most had no connections.
Third-Country Deportations
Advocacy groups report that more than 15,000 third-country deportation orders were issued under the Trump administration's push for increased immigrant expulsions, though only a fraction have been carried out. The US has signed agreements with countries including Ecuador, Honduras, Uganda, Cameroon, and the DRC to accept deportees. However, few details are known about these agreements.
