The first flight could carry about 20 people as early as Thursday, including two Iranian women previously granted protection from deportation to their home country, according to Reuters.
The Trump administration is preparing to send migrants from Iran, Afghanistan and Syria to the Central African Republic under a new third-country deportation arrangement, placing one of the world’s most fragile states at the centre of Washington’s immigration crackdown.
The first flight could carry about 20 people and may leave as early as Thursday, according to two lawyers and an official briefed on the matter. The group is expected to include Iranians, Syrians, Afghans and a Turkish national, Reuters reported.
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Among those expected to be deported are two Iranian women who had previously received protection from removal after US immigration judges found they faced a significant risk of persecution or torture if returned to Iran. According to their lawyer, Emily Trostle, one of the women is a Christian convert while the other is a pro-democracy activist. A Turkish national who fled political persecution may also be among those on the flight, according to another lawyer cited by Reuters.
The planned removals mark the latest expansion of President Donald Trump’s efforts to deport migrants who cannot easily be returned to their countries of origin due to diplomatic, legal or security constraints. Migrants sent to the Central African Republic are expected to be housed in apartments in the capital, Bangui, and are not expected to be immediately repatriated. The same official said hundreds of migrants could eventually be deported under the arrangement.
The Central African Republic is one of the world’s poorest countries, with about 70 percent of its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank. It has endured decades of instability and relies on UN peacekeepers, Rwandan troops and Russian-linked security forces to maintain stability. The International Organization for Migration said it would provide post-arrival humanitarian assistance at the request of the Central African government, while stressing it was not involved in carrying out the removals.
An analysis by Accra Street Journal noted that the reported deal would make the Central African Republic one of the latest countries drawn into Washington’s increasingly aggressive deportation strategy. The US Department of Homeland Security has said all deportees receive full due process, but immigration advocates argue the arrangements are opaque and could expose vulnerable migrants to new risks.
“At the very moment the United States is promising the Iranian people freedom and support for standing against the Islamic Republic, it is sending Iranian asylum seekers who fled that same regime back toward their demise,” Ali Rahnama, interim legal director at the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, told Reuters.
Source: Accra Street Journal
Last Updated on June 13, 2026 by Samuel Kwame Boadu
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Samuel Kwame Boadu is a Ghanaian media entrepreneur and storyteller with a passion for amplifying urban voices and uncovering everyday truths. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Accra Street Journal, a dynamic digital platform dedicated to capturing the pulse of Ghana’s capital—its people, culture, challenges, business, sports and innovations.
