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

On Saturday, the United States deported dozens of individuals to the Central African Republic, including an Afghan man whose brothers had aided U.S. military operations, according to his lawyer and a human rights group.

The Afghan individual, who is in his early twenties, was granted protection against deportation to Afghanistan due to concerns of persecution by the Taliban, as per court documents. His family in Afghanistan had faced threats from the Taliban because of the brothers' support for U.S. military efforts, stated his lawyer, Alma David.

One of the Afghan man’s brothers resided in the U.S. and served in the Afghan National Army, collaborating with the U.S. military prior to the Taliban's 2021 takeover, David explained. The other brother was a trained U.S.-funded pilot who was killed by the Taliban, she added.

The deportation flight, which arrived in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, on Saturday, carried 12 Afghans, eight Iranians, and several individuals from Nepal and Nicaragua, Savi Arvey, the director of policy, refugee, and immigrant rights at Human Rights First, informed.

As part of numerous covert agreements, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to two dozen nations that are not their own, in an effort to advance its immigration crackdown, according to advocates. Immigration lawyers contend that this tactic is being employed as a legal loophole to indirectly return asylum seekers to the countries they had fled.

This flight marks the second to the Central African Republic since June, preceding 24 migrants, including an Iranian woman facing persecution in her home country.