The Trump administration has announced plans to deport a group of Iranian asylum seekers and other migrants to the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of a new third-country agreement.
The first flight could take off as soon as Thursday, expected to carry around 20 individuals. Reports indicate that this group will also include people from Syria, Afghanistan, and Turkey.
In recent times, the administration has increasingly utilized these third-country arrangements to facilitate the removal of immigrants who cannot be sent back to their home nations.
Previously, a similar deal existed with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Central African Republic shares borders with several countries: Chad to the north, Sudan and South Sudan to the east, the DRC and Republic of the Congo to the south, and Cameroon to the west.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, CAR has experienced decades of political unrest. The nation’s stability has been undermined by six coups and numerous armed uprisings, leading to violence and a heightened risk of large-scale human rights violations.
President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who secured a third term in December, is looking to collaborate with Western countries to develop the country’s mineral resources while depending on Russian security support.
This new agreement from the U.S. might lead to hundreds of migrants being relocated to CAR, raising concerns among immigration lawyers.
Two Iranian women, who arrived in the U.S. in November 2024 and had secured a “stop of removal” from immigration officials, are among those listed for the upcoming flight. Their lawyer, Emily Trostle, mentioned that returning them to Iran could expose them to torture and persecution; one is a baptized convert and the other is a pro-democracy advocate.
Trostle noted the women were detained after filing for asylum upon their arrival, for which they gained some protection from deportation.
The agreement was reportedly finalized after a U.S. delegation visited Bangui in May.
Details about the total number of migrants involved, their specific nationalities, and the schedule for additional flights remain unclear at this time.
Upon arrival in the Central African Republic, the deportees are expected to be temporarily housed in an apartment in Bangui before any further steps are taken.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which received $85 million in funding from the U.S. this year, has stated it will offer voluntary humanitarian assistance to migrants at the request of the Central African governments, though it does not participate in the deportation process itself.
Several African nations, including Eswatini, the DRC, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, typically accept American deportees, often in exchange for financial or logistical assistance.
Neither the State Department nor Trostle responded to requests for comments regarding the situation.
