DAKAR/NAIROBI: The Trump administration is planning to deport some Iranians and other migrants to the Central African Republic, a country facing ongoing violence and poverty, according to two lawyers and an official who spoke to Reuters.
Among the Iranians are two women who could face torture or persecution if they are sent back to Iran, their lawyer Emily Trostle said. One woman is a Christian convert, and the other is a pro-democracy activist.
The U.S. State Department and the president’s office in the Central African Republic, which recently agreed to accept deportees from other countries, did not respond to requests for comment.
The two women were detained when they arrived in the U.S. in November 2024, Trostle said. They applied for asylum and were granted a protection called “withholding of removal” by a U.S. immigration judge. This means the judge believed there was more than a 50% chance they would face persecution or torture if they returned to Iran.
The official said the first flight under this deal could carry about 20 people, including migrants from Syria and Afghanistan.
A Turkish national who fled political persecution and also received similar protection might also be on the flight, their lawyer said.
The Trump administration has used deals with third countries, including the Central African Republic’s neighbor, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is dealing with an Ebola outbreak, to deport people it cannot legally send back to their home countries.
The U.S. government says these deals are legal, but human rights groups say the details are unclear and that many deportees are eventually sent back to their home countries.
The U.S. and Israel launched major strikes on Iran in late February, starting a war that has now lasted three months.
In April, U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed the Iranian people should rise against their government if there was a ceasefire, but also said it would be too dangerous for them.
Ali Rahnama of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund criticized the plan, saying that while the U.S. claims to support the Iranian people, it is sending asylum seekers back into danger.
The deported migrants are expected to stay in apartments in the capital, Bangui, and are not likely to be sent back to their home countries immediately, the official said. Hundreds of migrants could eventually be sent there under this agreement.
The plan to deport Iranians was first reported by The New York Times.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said all deportees would receive the full legal process.
A spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it would provide humanitarian assistance to migrants upon their arrival in Bangui if requested by the Central African government. The agency said it was not involved in the deportations and would offer help voluntarily, in accordance with international standards.
The U.S. has given US$85 million this year to support IOM operations in the Central African Republic.
The Central African Republic has faced repeated unrest since gaining independence from France in 1960, leaving most of its 5.5 million people living in poverty.
