Migrants in the U.S. who were prevented from being sent back to their home country due to the risk of persecution are set to be deported to the war-torn Central African Republic.
Among those at risk of being sent to the country are two Iranian women, a Christian convert and a pro-democracy activist, who face possible torture if they are returned to Iran, according to their lawyer Emily Trostle.
Both women were detained upon arriving in the U.S. in November 2024, Trostle said. They then applied for asylum in the U.S. and had secured a form of protection known as ‘Withholding of Removal’ that prevented them from being returned to Iran.
The first flight to the Central African Republic could leave as early as Thursday, lawyers said.
As well as the Iranians, Syrians, Afghans and a Turkish national are expected to be among the 20 on board.
The Trump administration has sent people it can’t legally deport home to third countries such as the Central African Republic and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, which is now facing an Ebola outbreak.
The Central African Republic is one of the world’s poorest countries, with almost two-thirds of the population living below the international extreme poverty line of $2.15 per day in 2021.
After rebels overthrew the government in 2013, the country was ravaged by violence between Muslim and Christian militias.
President Faustin-Archange Touadera signed peace deals this year with several rebel groups, reducing violence in some regions.
But armed groups still operate in other parts of the country and civilians continue to face attacks, kidnappings and sexual violence.
Washington has said its deals with third countries are lawful. But rights groups have said the details of the deals are opaque and many deportees are ultimately repatriated.
The migrants will be held in apartments in Central African Republic's capital Bangui and are not expected to be repatriated immediately, a briefed official said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said last week that all deportees would receive full due process.
Washington this year awarded $85 million to the Organization for Migration (IOM) for operations in Central African Republic.
A spokesperson for the IOM said the agency would "provide post-arrival humanitarian assistance" to the migrants sent to Bangui, at the request of the Central African Republic’s government.
They also said the IOM was not involved in the removals and would provide assistance "on a strictly voluntary basis and respecting applicable international standards."
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