US Plans to Deport Iranian Asylum Seekers to Central African Republic
The Trump administration is reportedly moving ahead with plans to deport a group of Iranian asylum seekers and other migrants to the Central African Republic (CAR) under a new third-country agreement. The first deportation flight could take off as soon as Thursday, carrying about 20 individuals, including people from Syria, Afghanistan, and Turkey.
This approach reflects the administration’s growing reliance on third-country removal agreements as a means to handle migrants unable to be returned to their countries of origin. Previously, a similar agreement existed with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Central African Republic shares borders with Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon. Since its independence from France in 1960, the CAR has faced decades of political instability, marked by a series of coups and armed conflicts that have escalated violence and threatened civilian safety. President Faustin-Archange Touadera, recently re-elected, has shown interest in collaborating with Western nations to enhance the country’s mineral sector, while looking to Russian assistance for security.
Under the new U.S. agreement, hundreds of migrants may find themselves in CAR, leading to concerns and pushback from immigration advocates. Among those scheduled for the upcoming flight are two Iranian women who came to the U.S. in November 2024 and were granted temporary protection from deportation.
Emily Trostle, an attorney representing the women, stated that returning them to Iran would pose significant risks, including potential torture. One woman is a convert to Christianity, while the other is a pro-democracy activist.
The new agreement is said to have been finalized during a U.S. delegation visit to Bangui in May. Initial information about the total number of migrants involved and the timeline for future flights remains unclear.
Upon arrival in the CAR, the deportees are expected to be accommodated in an apartment in Bangui before any further decisions are made regarding their status. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which received $85 million in U.S. funding this year, confirmed it will offer voluntary humanitarian assistance if requested by the CAR government, though it remains uninvolved in the actual removal process.
At least eight African countries, including Eswatini and Ghana, typically accept American deportees, usually in exchange for financial or logistical aid. Requests for comments were not answered by the State Department or Trostle.
