Africa-Press. The administration of President Donald Trump plans to deport a number of Iranians and other migrants to the Central African Republic, a country that has suffered from instability, violence, and poverty for years, according to two lawyers and an official familiar with the matter who spoke to a local source.
Neither the U.S. State Department nor the presidency of the Central African Republic, which recently reached an agreement to accept what are known as “third country” deportees from the United States, responded to requests for comment.
The official clarified that the two women were detained upon their arrival in the United States in November 2024, and they applied for asylum there, also receiving a form of legal protection known as “deferred action” from a U.S. immigration judge.
The official informed the local source that the first flight to the Central African Republic under the agreement is expected to carry around 20 people, including Syrians and Afghans.
There may also be a Turkish citizen on board who fled political persecution and received a “deferred action” ruling, according to his lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Trump administration has used deportation agreements to third countries, including the Central African Republic and its neighbor the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is currently facing an Ebola outbreak, to deport individuals that the United States cannot legally return to their home countries.
Washington has defended these agreements as legal, while human rights groups and migrant advocates have stated that the details lack transparency and that many deportees are ultimately returned to their home countries.
The United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran in late February, leading to a war that has now entered its third month.
Ali Rahnama, the acting legal director at the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, stated that the United States is sending Iranian asylum seekers toward a potentially deadly fate.
The official indicated that the deportees will be housed in residential apartments in the capital, Bangui, and they are not expected to be returned to their home countries immediately.
He added that hundreds of migrants may eventually be deported to the Central African Republic under the agreement.
The New York Times published a report on the plan to deport Iranians earlier on Thursday.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that all deportees will receive their full legal and procedural rights.
A spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration explained that the organization will provide “humanitarian assistance upon arrival” to the migrants being sent to Bangui, at the request of the Central African Republic government.
The spokesperson confirmed that the organization did not participate in the deportation operations themselves and that assistance will be provided “on a completely voluntary basis and in accordance with applicable international standards.”
Observers believe that deporting Iranians to a country suffering from security and economic fragility like the Central African Republic may raise additional questions about the fate of the deportees and their potential integration or return to their home countries, especially in the absence of clear details regarding the nature of the agreement and its implementation mechanisms.
This year, the United States granted $85 million to the International Organization for Migration to support its operations in the Central African Republic.
The Central African Republic has experienced repeated waves of unrest since gaining independence from France in 1960, leaving most of its population of about 5.5 million people in a cycle of poverty.
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra signed peace agreements with several rebel groups last year, while the power of other groups has diminished in the face of Russian mercenaries and Rwandan forces deployed to support Touadéra’s government, alongside United Nations peacekeeping forces.
