US deportation flight arrives in Central African Republic amid criticism

BANGUI, Central African Republic: A US deportation flight carrying migrants from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Georgia landed in the Central African Republic, according to lawyers and human rights activists, marking the latest use of a third-country deportation arrangement under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The flight is part of an expanding US policy that removes migrants to countries with which they have no apparent ties, including some individuals who previously held legal protections against deportation.

Rights groups have criticized the practice, arguing that deportees are being sent to unfamiliar countries where they may lack legal status, support networks and access to essential services.

The Central African Republic, one of the world’s poorest nations, has been plagued by years of armed conflict and political instability. The US State Department currently advises Americans not to travel to the country for any reason, citing security concerns.

The arrival of the deportees has raised questions about their legal status and future prospects in the Central African Republic, as details of the agreement between Washington and Bangui remain unclear.

Human rights advocates have urged greater transparency regarding third-country deportation arrangements, warning that migrants could face significant hardship if relocated to countries where they have no family, community ties or established legal protections.

Earlier, Trump ​administration plans to deport a number of Iranians and other migrants to Central African Republic, a chronically unstable country racked by violence and poverty, ‌two lawyers and an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.

The Iranians include two women who face potential torture and persecution if they are forced to go back to Iran, their lawyer, Emily Trostle, said. One is a Christian convert and the other is a pro-democracy activist, she added.

The US State Department and the presidency in the Central African Republic  which recently reached a ​deal to accept so-called third-country deportees from the US did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Both the women were detained upon arriving in ​the US in November 2024, Trostle said. They applied for asylum in the US and had secured a form of protection ⁠known as withholding of removal from a US immigration judge, Trostle said.

Obtaining that protection meant judges found they faced a risk greater than 50% of being ​persecuted or tortured in Iran.

The official briefed on the matter told Reuters the first flight to Central African Republic under the deal was expected to take about 20 ​people, also including Syrians and Afghans. The plane could leave as early as Thursday, the two lawyers said.