Trump administration deports Iranians to violence-plagued African nation
Related: ICE Ordered by Trump to Investigate Asylum Fraud Claims
The Trump administration deported Iranian asylum seekers and others to the Central African Republic (CAR), a nation the State Department advises Americans not to travel to due to extreme risks, according to immigration lawyers.
Lawyers and advocacy groups condemned these deportations as a “death sentence,” citing the dangers in CAR, including civil war, Russian paramilitary presence and the deportees’ lack of language skills or connections.
At least one Iranian woman, who had sought asylum, was among approximately two dozen individuals deported, some of whom had court orders temporarily barring their removal.
The administration has established secret agreements with nearly two dozen countries, including impoverished and war-torn nations, to accept immigrants who cannot be returned to their home countries.
Critics argue this policy is a “cruel and lawless foreign policy” that exploits a legal loophole, with the U.S. pledging millions to these receiving countries, while Homeland Security asserts all deportations follow due process.
