Trump administration deports Afghans to Central African Republic in expanded third-country deportation program

The Trump administration has significantly expanded its "third-country" deportation program, sending over 100 migrants—including Afghans, Iranians, and Cubans—to eight African nations. Among those expelled is Khalil, a 24-year-old Afghan whose family aided the U.S. military. Despite receiving judicial "withholding of removal" protections due to fears of Taliban persecution, Khalil and others were sent to the Central African Republic, a conflict-torn nation under a Level 4 U.S. travel advisory.

Third-country deportation program expansion

• ▪The United States has brokered third-country deportation agreements with more than 30 countries globally, including Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, and a growing number of African nations.
• ▪The Trump administration deported more than 100 individuals from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, and other nations to eight African countries over a 10-day period in August 2026.
• ▪The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that foreign assistance is used to support countries that help achieve United States immigration priorities.

Afghan military family deportation

• ▪The United States deported a 24-year-old Afghan man named Khalil to the Central African Republic on August 29, 2026, despite his family's history of assisting the U.S. military.
• ▪Active-duty Marine Colonel Zachary Schmidt, who supervised Khalil's brother in Afghanistan, testified in Khalil's immigration case and expressed concern that Khalil will be killed if returned to Afghanistan.
• ▪One of Khalil's brothers served in the Afghan National Army alongside U.S. forces and lives in the United States, while another brother was a U.S.-trained pilot killed by the Taliban.

Iranian protester deportation case

• ▪Sahar Jalili Pawelski, Nika's immigration lawyer, is filing a federal lawsuit to return Nika to the United States and reopen her asylum claim.
• ▪Nika was arrested during a routine Department of Homeland Security meeting in California after U.S. authorities had decided weeks prior to deport her.
• ▪The Trump administration deported an Iranian woman using the pseudonym Nika, who had protested against the Iranian regime, to the Central African Republic on June 11, 2026.

Judicial protection loopholes

• ▪U.S. immigration judges granted Khalil and Nika legal protection known as 'withholding of removal' due to fears of persecution, which barred their return to their home countries but did not prevent third-country deportation.
• ▪The Department of Homeland Security defended the third-country deportations, stating that the agreements ensure due process and that the agency is required by law to find safe nations for individuals who refuse to return home.
• ▪Khalil was disqualified from receiving permanent asylum under a Biden-era policy because he failed to seek protection in another country before crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in 2024.

Central African Republic conditions

• ▪The U.S. State Department maintains a 'Level 4' travel advisory for the Central African Republic, warning of risks including armed conflict, crime, kidnapping, and terrorism.
• ▪Deportees sent from the United States to the Central African Republic were informed they were only granted a temporary, three-month stay in the country.
• ▪The United States allocated $85 million to the International Organization for Migration in the Central African Republic and $50 million to the country's Humanitarian Fund in 2026.

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