Trump Administration Plans to Deport Iranians to Central African Republic Despite Travel Warnings

The Trump administration plans to deport about 20 migrants from Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan to the Central African Republic, a country the State Department warns against all travel to. Lawyers say some deportees, including a Christian convert and a pro-democracy activist from Iran, have court orders protecting them from return to their home countries due to risks of torture, making this a test of the U.S.'s third-country deportation policy.

Central African Republic deportation plan

• ▪The Trump administration plans to deport a group of migrants to the Central African Republic on a flight that could leave as early as June 11, 2026
• ▪The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will provide post-arrival humanitarian assistance to the deportees at the request of the Central African government
• ▪The deportees will be held in apartments in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, and are not expected to be immediately repatriated
• ▪A Turkish national who fled political persecution and has "withholding of removal" status may also be on the flight
• ▪The first deportation flight to the Central African Republic is expected to carry about 20 people, including nationals from Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan

Third-country deportation agreements

• ▪The Trump administration is using third-country deportation agreements to deport migrants who have court orders barring their return to their home countries
• ▪The Central African Republic recently reached a deal with the U.S. to accept third-country deportees
• ▪Hundreds of migrants could ultimately be deported to the Central African Republic under the new agreement

Court-ordered deportation protections

• ▪An elderly Syrian Sufi Muslim with "withholding of removal" status, who was previously tortured in Syria, was told he would be on the flight
• ▪The Syrian man suffers from diabetes, and his lawyer fears he will die in the Central African Republic due to a lack of medical care
• ▪Some migrants on the flight have "withholding of removal" status, meaning a U.S. judge found they face a greater than 50% risk of persecution or torture in their home country
• ▪The legal burden of proof to win "withholding of removal" status is higher than the standard to qualify for asylum

Central African Republic humanitarian conditions

• ▪The U.S. government has documented significant human rights abuses in the Central African Republic, including unlawful killings, torture, and arbitrary detention
• ▪The Central African Republic is described as a chronically unstable and deeply impoverished country with a non-functioning healthcare system
• ▪The U.S. awarded $85 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2026 for its operations in the Central African Republic
• ▪The U.S. State Department has issued a "do not travel for any reason" advisory for the Central African Republic

Iranian deportation cases

• ▪Both Iranian women were detained upon arriving in the U.S. in November 2024 and have been granted "withholding of removal" status against deportation to Iran
• ▪At least two Iranian women who sought refuge in the U.S. are scheduled for deportation to the Central African Republic

Afghan deportation cases

• ▪The Trump administration previously held talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to deport over 1,000 Afghans who had aided the U.S. war effort
• ▪Migrants from Afghanistan are expected to be on the first deportation flight to the Central African Republic