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A U.S. deportation flight carrying nationals from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Georgia has landed in the Central African Republic (CAR), a nation the U.S. State Department advises against traveling to due to safety concerns. This operation is part of the Trump administration's controversial "third-country" deportation policy.

The flight, which departed from Alexandria, Louisiana, made a stopover in Ghana before reaching Bangui, the CAR's capital. Among the deportees are individuals who had been granted "withholding of removal" status. This protection, while weaker than asylum, has historically been considered a favorable outcome in immigration courts.

Lawyers representing some of the deportees expressed grave concerns that these individuals might ultimately be forced to return to the very countries they fled, a scenario that has reportedly occurred with other deportees sent to various African nations. "We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled," stated Emily Trostle, an attorney for some of the Iranians on board.

The Trump administration's policy allows for the deportation of individuals with "withholding of removal" status to countries other than their country of origin, even if those third countries subsequently deport them back home. This practice has drawn criticism from human rights advocates who point to alleged abuses, including unsanitary holding conditions and indefinite detention in previous deportations facilitated through African hubs like Ghana and Equatorial Guinea.

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We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled.