A growing number of LGBTQ migrants who sought refuge in the United States have been deported to countries where homosexuality is criminalized or widely persecuted, according to immigration advocates and interviews with affected individuals. One such case involves a 28-year-old woman originally from Turkey, who asked to be identified by a pseudonym, Aylin. After fleeing Turkey due to death threats from a religious group and family members over her sexual orientation, she sought protection in the United States but was ultimately deported not back to Turkey but to the Central African Republic (CAR), a country she had never previously known.
Aylin arrived in the US two years ago and was granted withholding of removal by an immigration judge, a status indicating it would be unsafe for her to return to Turkey due to her sexuality. However, she was denied asylum under a border policy implemented during the Biden administration that limited migrant eligibility if they entered outside approved channels. Although this policy was later blocked by a federal court, Aylin spent 18 months in detention before being deported in July. To her shock, she was flown to the CAR, where she spent several weeks confined in an apartment in Bangui, the capital. Facing hostility toward LGBTQ individuals in the region and lacking any support network, she ultimately chose to return to Turkey despite ongoing risks.
Her case highlights the expansion of US immigration policies that allow deportation to third countries, rather than migrants' countries of origin. According to the nonprofit Initiative Third Country Deportation Watch, the Trump administration established at least 35 such agreements worldwide, many with nations in Africa and Latin America. These arrangements permit the US to deport migrants—even those with some form of legal protection like Aylin—to countries that agree to receive them, often exposing the migrants to increased vulnerability.
Immigration advocacy groups warn that these policies disproportionately affect LGBTQ asylum seekers. Bridgit Crawford of Immigration Equality, which offers legal aid to LGBTQ migrants, described the practice as “unconscionable” when deportees face persecution in their new host countries. The concern is amplified by the fact that nearly half of these third countries are in Africa, where many nations criminalize homosexuality and where anti-LGBTQ political rhetoric and violence have surged.
The Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea were among the countries where deported LGBTQ individuals reported fears for their safety. Many expressed confusion and despair at being sent to unfamiliar places with hostile social and legal environments.
US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials defend the policy, emphasizing that due process is upheld and that third-country agreements are lawful instruments to enforce immigration regulations. DHS spokespersons maintain that migrants who have no legal right to remain will be removed, underscoring these measures as vital to national security.
Meanwhile, in Turkey, Aylin faces renewed threats amid a recent government crackdown on LGBTQ groups, including raids on advocacy organizations and mass arrests. Though homosexuality remains legal there, the environment has become increasingly hostile. After returning, Aylin reported to her family that she had changed her sexual orientation, expressing a sense of loss and fear. She said she plans to seek opportunities to leave the country again, hoping to find the freedom she had initially sought in the United States.