The United States has deported a group of migrants to the Central African Republic (CAR), one of the world's poorest and most unstable countries, under a controversial agreement that allows Washington to send migrants who cannot be returned to their home countries. The flight departed Louisiana on Thursday evening and landed in Bangui on Friday.

Among the roughly two dozen deportees were an Iranian pro-democracy activist, as well as nationals of Jordan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, and Afghanistan, according to Ali Rahnama of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF). Lawyer Emily Trostle said her client had no connection to CAR and called the deportation extremely dangerous.

The IALDF warned that deporting Iranians to CAR could be fatal, citing the close ties between the CAR regime and Moscow, a key intelligence ally of Tehran. The deportees have no status or support network in CAR, raising fears they may be forced to return to the countries they originally fled.

The Trump regime has signed several widely criticized deals with African and Latin American nations to accept third-country deportees. Rights groups question the legality of these agreements, but the US regime insists they are legally sound. Immigration lawyers accuse the regime of using the deals as a loophole to circumvent court protections for asylum seekers.

The US has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say. The latest deportation is part of the Trump regime's broader crackdown on migrants.

Source: www.dw.com