US enlists Central African Republic to accept third-country deportees
Impoverished nation joins list of African countries taking migrants deported by Washington.
The United States has struck a deal with Central African Republic to accept migrants deported from the US who are not citizens of that country, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. The agreement was discussed during a May 18 meeting in the capital Bangui, where a US delegation led by State Department deputy assistant secretary Christian Jové Ehrhardt met with Central African officials. President Faustin-Archange Touadera's government has formally agreed to take in these so-called third-country deportees.
This latest move follows similar opaque deals with Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea. The Trump administration defends the deportations as lawful, but Senate Democrats say the programs have cost tens of millions of dollars. Rights groups argue the third-country deals allow the US to circumvent legal protections that had been granted by immigration courts, putting vulnerable migrants at risk in unfamiliar countries.
- Central African Republic agreed to accept third-country deportees during a May 18 meeting with a US State Department delegation.
- Similar deals exist with Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea.
- Senate Democrats claim the programs have cost tens of millions of dollars; rights groups say they bypass immigration court protections.
Why It Matters
Expanding deportation destinations raises human rights concerns and reshapes US immigration enforcement with African nations.