The U.S. deported 20 people to the Central African Republic on Saturday, including an Afghan man whose brothers had worked with the U.S. military. The man, in his early twenties, had been granted protection from deportation to Afghanistan due to Taliban threats against his family, his lawyer said. Two of his brothers had ties to the U.S.-backed Afghan National Army; one was killed by the Taliban in 2021.
The deportation flight landed in Bangui, the Central African Republic’s capital. Among the deportees were 12 Afghans and eight Iranians, along with migrants from Nepal and Nicaragua. Advocates warn the Trump administration has used secret agreements to send thousands to non-native countries as part of its immigration crackdown.
This marks the second deportation flight to the Central African Republic since June, which previously carried an Iranian woman facing persecution. Immigration lawyers argue the practice bypasses legal protections for asylum seekers.
