48 Ecuadorians in U.S. Immigration Detention Were Sent to Third Countries

Forty-eight Ecuadorians detained in the United States for immigration-related reasons have been transferred to migration centers in five countries while their asylum or refuge requests are being resolved, according to Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry as reported by Ecuavisa on September 7.

The transfers began on April 15, when three Ecuadorians were sent to Congo. The report says that the group has since included 35 people sent to Paraguay, six to Panama, three to Costa Rica, and one to the Central African Republic.

The figures describe people transferred to third-country migration centers, not a general rule covering every Ecuadorian in U.S. immigration proceedings. According to the Foreign Ministry, all of those transferred were adults and were in irregular immigration status in the United States. The report says they had not expressed a desire to return to Ecuador at the time of transfer.

How many have returned

The Foreign Ministry confirmed to Televistazo that 36 of the Ecuadorians transferred have returned to Ecuador. The article does not provide an individual case list or a timetable for the remaining cases.

Paraguay is described as the first country to sign the migration agreement. It receives 25 migrants each month. Jorge Kronawetter, Paraguay’s director of Migration, told the EFE news agency that the migrants are placed under the care of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The report says the IOM covers accommodation, food, and the purchase of airline tickets for return. Those details describe the arrangement reported for the third-country transfers; they do not establish that every case will follow the same timeline.

Ecuador’s role in the other direction

Ecuador has also received 121 migrants of different nationalities from the United States through June of this year while their immigration situations are resolved, according to the report.

For Ecuadorians with relatives moving between the United States and Ecuador, the practical point is that a transfer to a third country can occur while an asylum or refuge request remains unresolved. The destination list, the person’s immigration status, and the return process matter separately. A headline number cannot answer the legal position of an individual.

The source does not say that Ecuadorians can choose a specific third country, does not describe the merits of any asylum claim, and does not state when the remaining people will return. Those are individual and evolving matters that require confirmation from the relevant authorities or legal counsel.

Source: Ecuavisa