Trump Administration Deports Roughly 20 Afghan and Iranian Migrants to Central African Republic

Summary

About 20 migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries landed in the Central African Republic on Friday, deported there by the United States government under an arrangement that sends people to a nation they have no apparent connection to. The Central African Republic ranks among the world's poorest countries, has faced years of armed conflict and instability, and is not a signatory to international refugee conventions. The deportations are part of a broader Trump administration strategy of striking deals with third countries, particularly in Africa, to accept deportees from nations where direct returns are difficult or impossible. Among those removed was an Iranian activist, a detail that sharpens the human stakes of sending people to destinations chosen largely for their willingness to receive them rather than any logical tie to the deportees. A U.S. Official confirmed the flights to CBS News. The administration has framed these third-country removal agreements as a tool for accelerating deportations beyond the limits of bilateral arrangements with origin countries. Critics have raised legal and humanitarian objections, pointing to the lack of resettlement infrastructure in the receiving country and the absence of any formal agreements governing the migrants' status once they arrive.