BANGUI: The Trump administration has deported a group of about 20 migrants from countries including Afghanistan and Iran to the Central African Republic, according to media reports and an immigration lawyer, as part of its expanding third-country deportation policy.
The group reportedly included two Iranian women, with one identified by an immigration attorney as a pro-democracy activist who had fled Iran and was previously granted legal protection by a U.S. immigration court.
The Central African Republic, a conflict-affected nation classified at the highest U.S. travel advisory level, has been designated “Level 4,” with the State Department warning Americans not to travel there “for any reason” due to violence, crime, kidnapping and instability.
Human rights advocates say the country, one of the world’s poorest, remains heavily affected by armed conflict, political instability and ongoing reports of human rights abuses.
An unnamed U.S. official said migrants from Armenia and Iraq were also among those deported to the Central African Republic, according to reports.
The State Department has previously advised against all travel to the country, citing security threats including terrorism, violent crime and kidnapping.
The deportations have renewed concerns among rights groups and immigration lawyers, who argue that sending individuals some with legal protections to third countries with no ties raises serious legal and humanitarian questions.