US to send third-country deportees to Central African Republic

Lead

The United States has reached an agreement with the Central African Republic to accept migrants from other countries deported by Washington, according to multiple sources. The deal, reportedly concluded during a US delegation visit to the capital Bangui last month, marks the latest in a series of arrangements between the Trump administration and African nations to handle deportees who cannot be sent back to their home countries.

The first flight under the accord is expected to carry about 20 people, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters. The deportees include at least two Iranian women, as well as migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, according to sources cited in multiple reports. The plane could leave as early as Thursday, according to the two lawyers involved.

The Central African Republic is one of the world's poorest and most troubled states, with a history of violence and human rights abuses. The US State Department advises citizens not to travel there "for any reason." ∎

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the deal appears across several outlets, with slight variations in scope and emphasis.

Africa News, citing Reuters, reported that the Central African Republic is the latest African nation to agree to accept third-country deportees, with the deal reached during a US delegation visit to Bangui last month. The same report noted that at least eight African nations, including Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, have taken in US deportees, usually in exchange for financial or logistical support.

Deutsche Welle reported that the US has already deported a number of migrants to the Central African Republic, including an Iranian pro-democracy activist. According to that report, the deportation flight took off from Louisiana on a Thursday night, carrying about two dozen migrants, and landed in Bangui the following day. The outlet also noted that other migrants on the flight included nationals of Jordan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, and Afghanistan, citing the interim executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund.

The Guardian, focusing on the broader context of US deportations to dangerous countries, reported that the US government deported more than 21,000 people to countries deemed too dangerous to visit, according to a Marshall Project analysis of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. That report noted that these countries included war zones and unstable nations, and that at least 600 of the deportees were children.

The Jerusalem Post reported on the specific case of the two Iranian women, citing their lawyer, Emily Trostle. The women had secured withholding of removal from a US immigration judge, which meant a judge found they faced a risk greater than 50% of being persecuted or tortured in Iran. The outlet also noted that the US State Department and the Central African Republic presidency did not respond to requests for comment.

South China Morning Post reported that the deal was discussed during a May 18 meeting in Bangui, with a US delegation led by Christian Jové Ehrhardt, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, according to a Central African government official.

Key Claims

• The Central African Republic agreed to accept third-country deportees from the US, a claim supported by multiple sources.
• The deal was reportedly reached during a US delegation visit to Bangui; the details of the agreement remain opaque.
• At least eight African nations have taken in US deportees, as reported by Africa News.
• The first flight under the deal was expected to carry about 20 people, including Iranians, Afghans, and Syrians, according to an official and lawyers cited by the Jerusalem Post.
• Two Iranian women, one a Christian convert and the other a pro-democracy activist, face potential torture and persecution if deported to Iran, according to their lawyer Emily Trostle.
• The women had secured withholding of removal from a US immigration judge, a form of protection that requires a finding of greater than 50% risk of persecution or torture.
• The US State Department and the Central African Republic presidency did not respond to requests for comment, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
• The US State Department advises citizens not to travel to the Central African Republic "for any reason," as noted by Africa News.
• The US has used third-country deportation deals with other African nations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, as reported by multiple outlets.
• The Guardian reported that the US deported over 200 people to Iran in the 13 months leading up to the war, and over 21,000 people to countries deemed too dangerous to visit, with at least 600 children among them.

Perspectives

Lawyers for the deportees: Emily Trostle, representing the two Iranian women, stated that they face potential torture and persecution if forced to return to Iran. She expressed concern that the deportees are being removed to a country where they have no connection or support network.

The Trump administration: Washington has defended the deportations as lawful, according to multiple reports. US officials have said the deportees will be held in apartments in Bangui and are not expected to be repatriated immediately, with hundreds of migrants potentially affected under the deal, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Central African Republic government: A Central African government official confirmed the deal, saying, "Central African Republic will indeed take in, within the framework of agreements with the US, immigrants deported by American authorities," as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Rights groups and advocates: They have argued that the third-country deals allow the US to circumvent court protections and are opaque, according to multiple reports. Some groups have filed cases against other African nations over forced repatriations.