The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen migrants to the Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the United States, according to lawyers and a government official. This planned removal would represent the first known deportation to the Central African Republic, a nation that the U.S. State Department currently advises against visiting under any circumstances due to ongoing conflict and instability.
Among the individuals slated for deportation are migrants from Afghanistan and Syria. At least some of the detainees have court orders in the United States that prevent their removal to their home countries because of fears of persecution or torture, their legal representatives said. Migrants granted “withholding of removal” status—though a higher standard than asylum—are protected from return to countries where they face credible threats to their safety. Despite these protections, the administration is reportedly pursuing agreements with other nations willing to accept deportees, in efforts to circumvent U.S. court rulings. Other countries involved in such arrangements include Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini.
The Iranian women on the list have no criminal records and have been granted court protection against deportation to Iran, according to Sahar Jalili Pawelski, an immigration lawyer handling their cases. Many Iranians with this status fear persecution due to political beliefs or religious identity. Ali Rahmana of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, who recently met with the women, said they were in “serious disbelief” upon learning they could be sent to the Central African Republic.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials declined to confirm details of the upcoming deportations, citing security concerns. A U.S. official familiar with the plans confirmed the deportations on condition of anonymity, while a senior immigration official in the Central African Republic said he was unaware of any finalized agreement.
The migrants have no known ties to the Central African Republic, and it remains unclear where they would reside upon arrival or whether they could be repatriated to their countries of origin. The U.S. government has documented severe human rights abuses within the Central African Republic, including unlawful killings, torture, and arbitrary detention. The country lacks a functional healthcare system and continues to experience frequent violence despite a fragile peace agreement between armed groups and the government.
Critics have called the notion of using the Central African Republic as a “safe third country” for deportations misguided and dangerous. Anjli Parrin, director of the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, described the plan as “absurd,” citing the risks faced by deportees in such an environment.
Additionally, the administration had previously sought to deport over 1,000 Afghan nationals who assisted U.S. military efforts to the Democratic Republic of Congo, but those efforts stalled amid public backlash. The White House is now pursuing alternative countries to accept deportees.
Among those affected is an elderly Syrian man with scars from torture who faces return to the Central African Republic. Margaret Stock, an immigration attorney representing the man, said he fears for his safety due to his status as a Sufi Muslim and suffers from diabetes, a condition difficult to manage there given the lack of medical care. Despite having no criminal record and credible fears substantiated by a U.S. immigration judge, the man was recently detained after being released from immigration custody.
The Department of Homeland Security reiterated it would not comment on specific plans for deportations, citing security reasons.