US Deports Afghan Man with Family Ties to US Military to Central African Republic

The United States has deported dozens of people to the Central African Republic, including a young Afghan man whose family members had worked alongside US forces, according to his lawyer and human rights organizations.

The Afghan man, who is in his early 20s, had been granted protection against deportation to Afghanistan by a US immigration judge due to fears that he could face persecution by the Taliban, his lawyer, Alma David, said . Court documents reviewed by The Associated Press revealed that his family in Afghanistan had received threats from the Taliban because of his brothers’ work in support of the US military .

One of his brothers, who now lives in the United States, served in the former Afghan National Army alongside US forces before the Taliban seized power in 2021. Another brother was a US-trained pilot who was later killed by the Taliban . The New York Times, which referred to the Afghan man as Khalil, reported that his father and sister had also worked with US forces .

AfghanEvac, a US-based organization that assists Afghans who aided the United States, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First, confirmed that he was among those deported .

The deportation flight arrived in Bangui, the Central African Republic’s capital, on Saturday. It carried 12 Afghans and eight Iranians, as well as several nationals from Nepal and Nicaragua, according to Savi Arvey of Human Rights First .

Human Rights First said the flight was the third US deportation operation to the Central African Republic this year . The earlier flights reportedly carried two dozen migrants, including an Iranian woman facing persecution in her home country .

The deportations are part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown, which has included sending migrants to countries with which they have little or no connection under agreements reached with third governments . Immigration lawyers and advocates say the practice is being used as a legal loophole to indirectly send some asylum seekers back toward countries they fled .

The US State Department currently advises Americans against traveling to the Central African Republic, warning of potential risks including unrest, crime, kidnapping, health concerns and terrorism.

The case has drawn sharp criticism from refugee advocates and rights groups, who argue that transferring vulnerable Afghan refugees particularly those with ties to the former US-backed government to countries with limited protection systems raises serious humanitarian concerns .

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