A US deportation flight carrying Iranian, Afghan, Turkish, and Georgian nationals departed for the Central African Republic on Friday as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement policies, according to legal representatives speaking to AFP.
The flight originated in Alexandria, Louisiana on Thursday evening and made a scheduled stop in Ghana—a key hub for third-country deportations—before continuing toward the Central African Republic, based on flight tracking data from the ICE Flight Monitor shared by Human Rights First.
The deportees include individuals granted “withholding of removal” status, which provides limited protections compared to asylum but prohibits return to their home countries. Their legal advocates express concern that these individuals face indefinite detention or further displacement upon arrival in the unstable Central African Republic.
While the US State Department officially advises against travel to the Central African Republic due to security conditions, the Trump administration argues it may legally transfer individuals withholding orders to any country except their nation of origin. Legal representatives describe this practice as effectively abandoning vulnerable people in nations lacking adequate support systems.
Advocates report previous incidents of unsanitary detention conditions in Ghana and Eswatini, as well as forced returns to dangerous home countries from other African destinations. A recent lawsuit filed with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights seeks to halt US deportations to Equatorial Guinea and prevent onward expulsions of deportees.
The Central African Republic, despite recent stability efforts involving UN peacekeepers, Rwandan forces, and Russian Wagner mercenaries, continues to struggle with widespread armed resistance and governance challenges in many regions.