Washington plans to deport Iranians and other foreigners to the Central African Republic

(Patria) - The administration of Donald Trump plans to deport a certain number of Iranians and other migrants to the Central African Republic, a chronically unstable country plagued by violence and poverty, two lawyers and an official familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Among the Iranians are two women who face potential torture and persecution if forced to return to Iran, said their lawyer Emily Trostle. One is a Christian convert, and the other is a pro-democracy activist, she added.

The U.S. State Department and the presidency of the Central African Republic, which recently reached an agreement to accept so-called deportees from third countries from the U.S., did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Syrians and Afghans are also expected to be on the plane. Both women were detained upon arrival in the U.S. in November 2024, Trostle said. They applied for asylum in the U.S. and secured a form of protection known as withholding of removal from a U.S. immigration judge, Trostle said.

An official familiar with the matter told Reuters that the first flight to the Central African Republic under the agreement is expected to transfer about twenty people, including Syrians and Afghans. The plane could take off today, two lawyers said.

Another source familiar with the preparations said that the deportation of a Turkish national is also expected.

The Trump administration has used deportation agreements with third countries - including those with neighboring Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is now facing an Ebola outbreak - to deport people it cannot legally send home.

Washington has defended the agreements as lawful, although human rights groups and advocates have said the details of the agreements are opaque and that many deportees are eventually repatriated.

The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, beginning a now three-month-long war.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in April that he thought the Iranian people should rise up against the government in Iran if a ceasefire is declared, but understood it was too dangerous for them to do so.

'Hundreds' could be deported under the agreement. Deportees will be housed in apartments in the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, and are not expected to be immediately repatriated, the informed official said.

The official added that hundreds of migrants could be deported there under the agreement.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said last week that all deportees will receive full due process.

A spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the agency will 'provide humanitarian assistance upon arrival' to migrants sent to Bangui, at the request of the Central African government.

The spokesperson said IOM was not involved in the deportations and will provide assistance 'on a strictly voluntary basis and respecting applicable international standards.'

The U.S. has allocated $85 million to IOM this year for operations in the Central African Republic.

The Central African Republic has suffered repeated cycles of unrest since independence from France in 1960, leaving the majority of its 5.5 million inhabitants in poverty.

Five years ago, Rwanda deployed troops to prevent rebels from disrupting elections and maintains its presence there today. President Faustin-Archange Touadera signed peace agreements with several rebel groups this year, reducing violence in some regions.