U.S. deports Iranian migrants to Central African Republic

The United States deported a group of migrants to the Central African Republic on Friday, June 12, in the first such flight under a recently established agreement with the impoverished and conflict-ridden nation. The flight, which departed from Louisiana on Thursday, carried approximately 20 people, including nationals from Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, and Turkey.

This action is part of a broader policy by the U.S. administration to deport migrants to third countries when they cannot legally be returned to their countries of origin. Immigration lawyers and advocates have criticized the practice, arguing it exploits a legal loophole to circumvent protections granted by U.S. courts. The Central African Republic is at least the ninth African nation to agree to accept such deportees, following similar deals with countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Among those scheduled for the flight were several individuals who had been granted legal protection in the United States. Lawyers stated that at least two Iranian women on the flight had received withholding of removal orders from U.S. immigration judges, a status granted when a judge determines an individual faces a credible...