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Colombian deported to DR Congo despite protection from removal, separated from family

May 22, 2026·Location: Orlando, FL

Country of origin: Colombia

Colombian deported to DR Congo despite protection from removal, separated from family
Photo via greytastudio.com

Jorge Cubillos, a 42-year-old truck driver from Bogotá who fled threats from armed groups in Colombia, was deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo despite holding withholding of removal protection granted by an immigration judge in 2022 under the UN Convention Against Torture. He had lived in the U.S. since 2018, settling with his wife and four children in St. Cloud, Florida. After an arrest on a domestic battery charge, ICE lodged a detainer and detained him in Orlando, holding him for more than three months and moving him between facilities in Orlando, Jacksonville, and Louisiana while he filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention. He was flown to Kinshasa in shackles on April 15, 2026, after refusing to sign paperwork agreeing to relocation to Mexico, one of 15 Latin American migrants sent to Congo under a Trump administration deal with Kinshasa. He is now housed in a Kinshasa hotel with other deportees, reporting poor conditions including power cuts and lack of drinking water, and is receiving assistance from the International Organization for Migration while awaiting possible repatriation to Colombia.

Timeline

Apr 17, 2026—Reported staying in a Kinshasa hotel with other deportees, facing poor conditions and awaiting possible repatriation to Colombia
Apr 15, 2026—Flown in shackles to Kinshasa, DR Congo, after refusing to sign relocation paperwork to Mexico, among 15 Latin American deportees
Jan 1, 2026—Arrested on domestic battery charge, prompting ICE to lodge a detainer
Jan 1, 2026—Detained by ICE in Orlando and held over three months while filing habeas corpus petition; moved between facilities in Orlando, Jacksonville, and Louisiana
Jan 1, 2022—Immigration judge granted withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture
Jan 1, 2018—Arrived in the U.S. after fleeing threats from armed groups in Colombia
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