Trump administration deports relative of Afghans who helped US military to Central African Republic

The United States deported a group of individuals to the Central African Republic on Saturday, including an Afghan man whose brothers assisted U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, according to his lawyer and an advocacy group. The Afghan man, in his early twenties, received protection against deportation to Afghanistan due to fears of persecution by the Taliban, his lawyer, Alma David, stated.

His family in Afghanistan faced threats from the Taliban due to their brothers' support of U.S. military operations, as documented by court records provided to The Associated Press. One brother, who served in the Afghan National Army, collaborated with the U.S. military prior to the Taliban's takeover in 2021. The other brother, a trained U.S. pilot, was killed by the Taliban, David added.

The deportation flight, which arrived in Bangui, Central African Republic's capital, consisted of 12 Afghans, eight Iranians, and several individuals from Nepal and Nicaragua, as reported by Savi Arvey, director of policy, refugee, and immigrant rights at Human Rights First. Under various arrangements, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to 24 countries that are not their own, aiming to strengthen its immigration enforcement, according to advocates.

Immigration lawyers argue that this practice is used as a legal loophole to indirectly return asylum seekers to their fled countries. This was the second such deportation to the Central African Republic since June, which included another Iranian woman facing persecution in her home country.