BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) 鈥� A flight carrying at least two dozen migrants, including an Iranian woman facing persecution in her home country, landed in the on Friday. It is the latest example of the Trump administration鈥檚 widely criticized deals with African and Latin American nations to take third-country deportees.
The Central African Republic, a deeply impoverished country plagued by conflict, is one of at least nine African nations with this type of agreement.
Under a series of often-secret agreements that are part of a broad U.S. crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say.
The Trump administration uses deportations to third countries as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum seekers back to their home countries, immigration lawyers said.
It was unclear exactly how many migrants were on the deportation flight that left Louisiana late Thursday on the way to the Central African Republic鈥檚 capital, Bangui.
Some of the migrants are temporarily staying at a firefighters鈥� base near the U.S. Embassy compound under construction in Bangui, while others will be housed at other locations, according to a source close to the embassy. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to speak publicly on the matter, also said women and men were separated upon arrival.
Among those set to be deported Thursday were people from Iran, Jordan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Afghanistan, according to Ali Rahnama, interim executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, who has been in touch with some of the migrants.
Three Iranian women in the U.S. were originally scheduled to be sent to the Central African Republic, according to Sahar Jalili Pawelski, one of their immigration lawyers, who said two of them received emergency court orders temporarily stopping their deportation while judges reviewed whether the government was acting legally.
All had been granted court protection against deportation to Iran after judges ruled they faced credible fears of persecution on the basis of politics or religion, Rahnama said.
鈥淒espite being granted withholding of removal, these individuals are being removed from the United States and abandoned in a country where they have no status, no connection and no support network. We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled,鈥� Emily Trostle, an attorney representing two of the women, said Friday.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday would not comment on the case, saying it would not confirm future removal operations for security reasons. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Central African Republic has been plagued by years of conflict between pro-government forces and armed groups and is one of the poorest countries in the world. Despite vast reserves of gold, one in three people live on less than $2 a day.
It also is one of the countries where , was first active in Africa. The group has been responsible for President Faustin-Archange Touad茅ra鈥檚 security and fighting rebel groups.
The country remains one of Russia鈥檚 closest allies in Africa, despite recent tensions between Touad茅ra and Moscow over Russia鈥檚 push to replace Wagner with the state-controlled .
Rahnama of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund expressed concerns about an Iranian asylum seeker being sent to the Central African Republic, noting Russia鈥檚 influence in the country and Moscow鈥檚 close security ties with Iran.
The International Organization for Migration, a U.N.-affiliated agency, will 鈥減rovide post-arrival humanitarian assistance鈥� to the migrants at the request of the Central African authorities, a spokesperson said.
The U.S. earlier this year awarded $85 million to 鈦爐he IOM for 鈥媜perations in the Central African Republic to provide 鈥渁ssistance to migrants鈥� and promote 鈥渃ommunity stabilization.鈥�
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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana in Washington and Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco contributed to this report.
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