Overview
- A deportation flight left Alexandria, Louisiana, late Thursday, made a scheduled stop in Ghana, and landed in Bangui carrying roughly 20 people from countries including Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Georgia.
- Lawyers say at least one Iranian pro‑democracy activist was deported on the flight and that several people on the plane had previously won withholding of removal from U.S. immigration judges, a protection that bars return to their home country.
- The Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm operational details for security reasons while the International Organization for Migration said it will offer voluntary post‑arrival aid in Bangui at the request of Central African authorities.
- Rights groups and lawyers have filed emergency court actions and condemned the transfer as opaque and risky, citing the CAR’s chronic instability, limited health services, and a U.S. travel advisory that warns against visiting the country.
- The flight is the latest example of the administration’s expanding use of third‑country deportation agreements, a practice that critics say circumvents legal protections and could lead to onward repatriation or prolonged hardship for deportees.