{"id":1652,"date":"2026-05-23T14:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T14:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/23\/white-house-pauses-removal-of-detainees-to-the-drc-as-ebola-outbreak-widens\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T14:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T14:47:42","slug":"white-house-pauses-removal-of-detainees-to-the-drc-as-ebola-outbreak-widens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1652","title":{"rendered":"White House pauses removal of detainees to the DRC as Ebola outbreak widens"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"479818c7-4376-4311-b9f0-4b1603b50a3e\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Two children surrounded by health workers in protective gear.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ffc838e97b179b54b60aaffc6f8aa4d774457412\/0_0_2626_1825\/master\/2626.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"323.16260472201066\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Two children of an American Ebola patient look through a window at their father in the isolation ward at a hospital in Berlin, Germany, on 21 May 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Charite\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"479818c7-4376-4311-b9f0-4b1603b50a3e\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Two children of an American Ebola patient look through a window at their father in the isolation ward at a hospital in Berlin, Germany, on 21 May 2026.<\/span> Photograph: Charite\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">White House pauses removal of detainees to the DRC as Ebola outbreak widens<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>But Trump administration will not return detainees deported to third countries in disease-struck region<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump administration<\/a> will temporarily pause the removal of refugees to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/congo\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a> (DRC) during a spiraling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ebola\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ebola<\/a> outbreak, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/21\/trump-administration-temporarily-pauses-deportation-flights-to-congo-amid-ebola-outbreak-00932722\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reporting<\/a> by Politico, but experts say the move won\u2019t help prevent the spread of the disease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At least one woman is now in limbo after officials moved her to Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, and now say they won\u2019t bring her back because of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ebola\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Ebola<\/a> travel ban \u2013 despite a judge\u2019s order for her return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Adriana Zapata, 55, fled Colombia to the US, but she was sent to Kinshasa over a month ago \u2013 even though the DRC said it could not care for her complex medical needs. A US judge ordered her return to the US, but American officials are saying they cannot bring her back because of the travel ban instituted on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI\u2019m just really worried about losing her,\u201d Zapata\u2019s lawyer, Lauren O\u2019Neal, <a href=\"https:\/\/gothamist.com\/news\/feds-say-ebola-outbreak-means-they-cant-bring-back-nj-bound-woman-deported-to-congo\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told<\/a> the Gothamist. \u201cI don\u2019t want her to die before we can get her back here.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"8a53285b-6a27-4762-ad49-f26a16eea338\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1ljij2n\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/23\/ebola-virus-spread-drc-democratic-republic-of-congo\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">\u2018Every health facility said they were full\u2019: alarm over rapid spread of Ebola in DRC<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Immigration agents could come into contact with the virus during the trips, and the virus could spread closer to the US because of Trump\u2019s immigration tactics, unnamed officials told Politico. Yet they said the decision is at least partly motivated by legal concerns \u2013 that removal to a third country with an active Ebola outbreak could be used in an immigrant\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cBy the government\u2019s own logic, if it is not safe for people to come from there to here, it is equally unsafe to send people there,\u201d said Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International and the top Ebola response official at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) during the 2014-15 outbreak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As long as the US has a ban on travelers from the DRC, Uganda and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/south-sudan\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">South Sudan<\/a>, \u201con what grounds could it possibly be safe to deport people there?\u201d Konyndyk asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It\u2019s not clear what happens next to refugees who were already moved against their will to countries affected by or near the outbreak. At least 37 people have been moved to these countries in recent months, according to Gillian Brockell, an independent journalist who <a href=\"https:\/\/gillianbrockell.com\/tracking-all-of-trumps-third-country-removals-that-we-know-of\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">tracks third-country removals<\/a> by the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Brockell suspects US officials are using the travel ban as an excuse for not returning Zapata. Sending people in detention centers to African nations far from home is a common threat, Brockell said, \u201cso to publicly take one of their main scare tactics off the table, they are only going to do that if it helps them in some way\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US government has evacuated people from Ebola-affected regions before \u2013 including patients with active Ebola cases. One of the world\u2019s leading experts on high-risk medical evacuations, the former state department official William Walters, is <a href=\"https:\/\/gillianbrockell.com\/noems-luxury-d-jet-for-deportations-is-the-tip-of-the-ice-berg\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">now an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contractor<\/a>, Brockell pointed out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Trump administration<\/a> could absolutely return Adriana Zapata to the US; telling the judge it can\u2019t be done just isn\u2019t true,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">ICE \u201cfollows all applicable health and safety guidelines, including those outlined in the US Department of State\u2019s travel advisories, when conducting removal operations,\u201d said a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). But the DHS did not respond to the Guardian\u2019s questions about Zapata\u2019s return and the agency\u2019s third-country removal plans during the Ebola outbreak, including whether flights to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/uganda\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Uganda<\/a>, South Sudan and Rwanda would continue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Sending immigrants against their will to other countries could risk violating international law, said Camille Mackler, an immigration lawyer. \u201cBasically, the US can\u2019t send people back to where they will be persecuted, so we\u2019re exporting our immigration enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">There are no official numbers, but experts estimate that between 8,000 and 15,000 people have been flown to third countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe\u2019ve already seen that people who are being detained by immigration are not receiving adequate medical care,\u201d Mackler said. \u201cThey\u2019re taking no protections for them, and then not thinking about the ripple effect that can have.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-ri3hap\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">If the outbreak continues expanding, there\u2019s a chance detainees in the affected areas could get sick themselves \u2013 and if they were then sent to their countries of origin, they would be bringing the virus to South and Central America, where countries have little experience battling the viral hemorrhagic fever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it has plans in place to test and monitor passengers from the region. The US announced on Thursday that all passengers traveling from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan would be diverted to the Washington-Dulles international airport for screening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe US is putting in place travel measures to limit risk,\u201d said Satish Pillai, the CDC\u2019s Ebola response lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Even passengers from places like Kinshasa, with no known Ebola cases, will be monitored because \u201cthe outbreak in the affected area continues to expand\u201d, Pillai said at a press conference on Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThat is why CDC has initiated entry screening processes, which is a part of an overall broader, layered public health approach, starting with exit screening, airline illness reporting and public health monitoring after arrival,\u201d Pillai said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Measures like these mean it\u2019s very unlikely travelers \u2013 including Zapata \u2013 will bring Ebola into the United States, said Alexandra Phelan, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The \u201cproper and equitable process that also protects public health\u201d would be to bring Zapata to the US, per the judge\u2019s order, and have her undergo the same health protocols as returning US citizens and residents at Dulles, Phelan said. That could include quarantine if there has been any high-risk exposure \u2013 though that\u2019s \u201cunlikely if she has remained in Kinshasa, which is not a known active transmission location\u201d, Phelan added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIf the Trump administration is serious about countering the spread of Ebola, the US government should restore health-related humanitarian funding it gutted across Africa; designate temporary protected status for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan; and halt all deportation flights to the region \u2013 including flights involving Latin Americans and other third country nationals,\u201d said Yael Schacher, director for the Americas and Europe at Refugees International.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/ebola\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Ebola<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/usimmigration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/ice-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/science\/infectiousdiseases\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Infectious diseases<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/congo\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=White%20House%20pauses%20removal%20of%20detainees%20to%20the%20DRC%20as%20Ebola%20outbreak%20widens&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/23\/white-house-pauses-detainee-removal-drc-ebola?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fmay%2F23%2Fwhite-house-pauses-detainee-removal-drc-ebola&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/may\/23\/white-house-pauses-detainee-removal-drc-ebola\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two children of an American Ebola patient look through a window at their father in the isolation ward at a hospital in Berlin, Germany, on 21 May 2026. Photograph: Charite\/Reuters &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1652\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}