U.S. Carries Out First Deportation Flight To Central African Republic Under Third-Country Transfer Policy
The U.S. deported roughly 20 migrants to the Central African Republic on Friday, June 12, 2026, on what officials called the first third-country removal flight to Bangui.[1]
The flight carried people from Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia, Iraq and other countries, U.S. officials and media said.[1] Lawyers said the passenger list included at least two Iranian women who hold U.S. court orders barring their removal to Iran, a detail that raises legal questions about third-country transfers.[2] One Iranian on the flight had a deportation-protection order, and attorneys said two other Iranian women moved to Louisiana ahead of the flight were ultimately not placed on it.[1] Attorneys described one woman as a baptized Christian convert and another as a democracy activist.[3] Lawyers said some clients were told the destination only the day before the flight.[1]
After taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration expanded third-country removals by striking agreements with dozens of partner states willing to accept migrants who hold U.S. deportation-protection orders.[2] By March 2026 the administration reported signing pacts with 27 countries and completing roughly 17,400 to 19,000 transfers between January 2025 and May 2026.[2] A federal lawsuit, D.V.D. v. DHS, challenged the expansion and a district court in February 2026 blocked the program on due-process grounds; the administration has appealed.[2] The State Department lists the Central African Republic as Level 4 "do not travel" because of severe insecurity.[1] U.S. officials finalized a deal with Bangui during a May 2026 delegation visit.[3] They expect deportees to be housed in apartments in the capital and to receive voluntary assistance from the International Organization for Migration, funded partly by U.S. aid.[3]
The New York Times first reported lawyers warned a flight could leave as early as June 11 and flagged protected Iranian women on the passenger list.[2] Subsequent CBS reporting amplified attorneys' urgent concerns that clients had no ties to the Central African Republic and that DHS did not grant interviews with asylum officers before removal.[1]
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant legal and ethical concerns raised by the deportations, particularly regarding the safety of the Central African Republic, which is under a U.S. 'do not travel' advisory due to severe insecurity. Kerry Kennedy condemned these deportations as state-sanctioned torture, emphasizing the risks of killings and arbitrary arrests that await the deportees despite their asylum claims. This critical perspective highlights the potential human rights violations involved in the third-country transfer policy, which the mainstream account downplays.
Additionally, while the summary notes the expansion of third-country removals, it fails to address the broader implications of this strategy. Analysts from the Migration Policy Institute argue that the Trump administration's approach to third-country agreements is not just about removal numbers but also serves as a deterrent mechanism, creating fear and uncertainty among migrants about their potential destinations. This framing suggests that the policy may be more about discouraging migration than addressing the complexities of asylum claims, a nuance that is absent from the mainstream coverage.
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📌 Key Facts
- CBS News reported the Trump administration deported roughly 20 migrants to the Central African Republic on Friday, June 12, 2026, on what the administration described as the first such third-country removal flight to Bangui (CBS News).
- The New York Times said lawyers had warned a first deportation flight could depart on Thursday, June 11, 2026, carrying nearly two dozen migrants and that the passenger list reportedly included at least two Iranian women who hold U.S. court orders barring their removal to Iran (The New York Times).
- The Trump administration, after taking office in January 2025, expanded third-country removals via agreements with partner states and by March 2026 reported signing agreements with 27 countries and completing roughly 17,400 to 19,000 third-country transfers between January 2025 and May 2026 (The New York Times).
- The expanded third-country transfer practice is the subject of the federal lawsuit D.V.D. v. DHS, and a district court in February 2026 blocked the program on due‑process grounds while the administration has appealed that ruling (D.V.D. v. DHS).
- The U.S. State Department currently designates the Central African Republic as Level 4 (“do not travel”) because of severe insecurity and warns Americans in-country to take extreme safety steps, according to the travel advisory cited by CBS News (State Department's Level 4 advisory).
- Fox News reported that the third‑country agreement with the Central African Republic was finalized during a U.S. delegation visit to Bangui in May 2026, that deportees are expected to be housed in apartments in Bangui without immediate repatriation, and that the International Organization for Migration will provide voluntary assistance partly funded by $85 million from the U.S. this year (the Central African Republic).
- Immigration attorney Emily Trostle is quoted saying at least two Iranian women on the removal lists had arrived in the U.S. in November 2024, were detained since arrival, and had obtained withholding of removal from a U.S. immigration judge; reporting also describes one as a baptized Christian convert and another as a democracy activist, and CBS News added that two other Iranian women moved to Louisiana for expected deportation were not placed on the June 12 flight (Emily Trostle).
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- A U.S. official told CBS News that on Friday, June 12, 2026, the Trump administration deported about 20 migrants from countries including Afghanistan and Iran to the Central African Republic.
- The CBS segment explicitly identifies the nationalities highlighted in this specific removal flight as Afghani and Iranian migrants, confirming prior detailed print reporting about the passenger mix.
- On Friday, June 12, 2026, the Trump administration deported roughly 20 migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia, Iraq and other nations to the Central African Republic on the first such flight.
- The deportees included at least one Iranian pro-democracy activist who had previously been granted 'withholding of removal' by a U.S. immigration judge, legally barring her return to Iran but not to third countries.
- Her lawyer, Emily Trostle, said the client had no connection to the Central African Republic, was only told the destination the day before the flight, and that DHS ignored requests for an interview with an asylum officer about her fears of deportation there.
- Two additional Iranian women, described by attorney Ali Rahnama as Christian converts who fled religious and political persecution, were moved to Louisiana for expected deportation to the Central African Republic but ultimately were not placed on the June 12 flight.
- The State Department's Level 4 advisory for the Central African Republic instructs Americans in-country to draft a will, set 'proof of life' protocols with loved ones, and leave DNA samples with medical providers due to severe risks from unrest, crime, kidnapping, health threats and terrorism.
- A U.S. official told CBS News, on condition of anonymity, that migrants from Armenia and Iraq were also among those on the June 12 deportation flight to Bangui.
- Fox News reports that the Trump administration's first deportation flight to the Central African Republic could depart as early as Thursday, June 11, 2026, and is expected to carry roughly 20 people.
- The passenger list for the initial flight includes migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, and at least one Turkish national, in addition to Iranian asylum seekers, according to this report.
- Immigration attorney Emily Trostle is quoted saying that two Iranian women on the flight arrived in the U.S. in November 2024, have been detained since arrival, and obtained withholding of removal from a U.S. immigration judge based on risks of torture or persecution in Iran.
- One of the Iranian women is described as a baptized Christian convert and the other as a democracy activist, details not specified in the earlier summary.
- The article states that the third-country agreement with the Central African Republic was finalized during a U.S. delegation visit to Bangui in May 2026.
- Once in the Central African Republic, deportees are expected to be housed in apartments in Bangui and will not face immediate repatriation, and the International Organization for Migration confirms it will provide voluntary assistance, funded in part by $85 million from the U.S. this year.
- Lawyers say the U.S. will send its first deportation flight to the Central African Republic on Thursday, June 11, 2026 carrying nearly two dozen migrants.
- The passenger list reportedly includes at least two Iranian women who hold U.S. court orders barring their removal to Iran under deportation-protection orders, raising questions about how those orders interact with third-country transfers.
- The Central African Republic is designated 'do not travel for any reason' by the U.S. State Department because of severe insecurity, yet it is being used as a destination for third-country removals.
- After taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration expanded third-country removals via agreements with dozens of partner states willing to accept migrants who have U.S. court deportation-protection orders.
- Early third-country removal flights under this policy included five people sent to Eswatini in July 2025 and nine people to Equatorial Guinea on November 24, 2025, along with multiyear payments to certain partner states.
- By March 2026, the administration reported having signed agreements with 27 countries and completing roughly 17,400 to 19,000 third-country transfers between January 2025 and May 2026.
- The legality of this expanded third-country transfer practice is being challenged in the federal lawsuit D.V.D. v. DHS, in which a district court in February 2026 blocked the program on due-process grounds; the administration has appealed that ruling.