Africa-Press. Sources have reported that the Central African Republic has agreed to accept migrants from other countries who have been deported by the United States, marking the latest instance of the Trump administration forging agreements with African nations to expedite deportation processes. Washington has sent what are termed third-country migrants to African nations, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea, under vague agreements that Senate Democrats claim have cost tens of millions of dollars.
In many cases, the deportees had received legal protection from immigration courts in the United States against being returned to their home countries, but human rights organizations argue that third-country agreements allow the United States to circumvent this protection. Washington has defended the deportations as legal.
The agreement with the Central African Republic was discussed during a meeting held on May 18 in Bangui with a U.S. delegation led by Christian Goffi Erhardt, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, according to a government official from the Central African Republic.
The official, who requested anonymity, stated, “The Central African Republic will indeed receive, under the agreements made with the United States, the migrants who have been deported by U.S. authorities.” A diplomat residing in the region, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the agreement.
The Central African Republic has experienced repeated waves of turmoil since gaining independence from France in 1960, leading to poverty for most of its 5.5 million residents. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who won a third term in the elections held last December, has turned to Russia for security support, although he has also indicated a renewed interest in Western partnerships in critical minerals.
Neither the government source from the Central African Republic nor the diplomat residing in the region provided details on the number of migrants to be deported to the country, their nationalities, or when flights would commence, although a recent court ruling suggests attempts have already begun.
On May 22, U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal issued a temporary restraining order preventing the deportation of a Turkish national, indicating that U.S. officials were planning to deport him to the Central African Republic on May 26. An official from the International Organization for Migration confirmed that the organization would assist the deportees upon their arrival in the Central African Republic.
The International Organization for Migration has already provided assistance to third-country deportees in other parts of Africa, including the Congo. This year, the United States allocated $85 million to the International Organization for Migration for its operations in the Central African Republic.
