The Trump administration is preparing to send a group of migrants to the Central African Republic under a newly established third-country removal agreement, with the first flight potentially departing as early as Thursday. The flight is expected to carry roughly 20 people.
According to Fox News, which cited a Reuters report, the passengers include people from Syria, Afghanistan, and a Turkish national, in addition to Iranian asylum-seekers. The deal was reportedly finalized during a U.S. delegation visit to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, in May.
The administration has increasingly turned to third-country deportation agreements as a legal mechanism to remove migrants who cannot be sent directly back to their home countries. A similar agreement was previously reached with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Under the new arrangement, hundreds of migrants could ultimately be sent to the Central African Republic, a development that has drawn opposition from immigration defense attorneys.
Among those scheduled for the upcoming flight are two Iranian women who arrived in the United States in November 2024. Both were detained after arriving and filed asylum applications. An immigration judge granted them protection in the form of a stay of deportation. Their attorney, Emily Trostle, said the two women face a risk of torture and persecution if forcibly removed. One of the women is a baptized convert from Islam. The other is a democracy activist, Trostle said.
The Central African Republic has experienced decades of political instability since gaining independence from France in 1960, including six coups. Armed insurgencies have fueled ongoing violence and a risk of mass atrocities against civilians. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, re-elected to a third term in December, has relied on Russia for security assistance while also pursuing partnerships with Western countries for development of the country's critical minerals sector.
Once deported to the CAR, migrants are expected to be housed in apartments in Bangui and will not face immediate repatriation to their home countries. The International Organization for Migration, which received $85 million in U.S. funding this year, confirmed it will provide voluntary, post-arrival humanitarian assistance to those sent there.
Initial details about the total number of migrants to be transferred, the full range of nationalities involved, and the timeline for future flights were not made available at the time the deal was announced.
