Cabo Verde has struggled in recent years with the handling of deportees being sent back to the island country.  Since the early 90’s, over 1300 Cape Verdeans have been deported, majority of which came from the United States, followed by Portugal and France. Most are deported from committed crimes such as theft, lack of documents, and drugs.  Most of the deportees are young males, and when they arrive in Cabo Verde, there are no programs of any sort to transition them back into society. They face heavy discrimination in gaining employment.  Many return speaking mostly English, if any creolo at all.  And also, many of them have no family to return to and are displaced.  Most of the youths turn to drugs upon returning to Cabo Verde which has been an increasing pandemic especially in the capital city of Praia. This has undoubtedly been a growing concern for citizens in Cabo Verde.

One of the main causes of the mass deportation is the hardening of immigration laws in the United States, which has foreseen deportation even for minor crimes. Cape Verdean Ambassador to the United States, Carlos Veiga, confirmed on Rádio Voz di América, of the steps being taking for mass deportation and that measures that are being put in place to ensure a better transition of deportees back into the homeland.

This news broke on the heels of the US President’s plan to remove all the obstacles the immigration agencies faced in the past to target undocumented immigrants crossing the border and living in the the United States.  President Donald trump signed two executive orders on Wednesday, January 24th, to ramp up plans for deportation of potentially millions.  However, Cabo Verde has been anticipating the arrival of these 400 individuals facing deportation since the summer of 2016.