On a tarmac in Texas, federal agents ordered a group of shackled immigrants off a bus and onto an airplane that was reportedly destined for Africa. Many complied, but some men refused, having sought protection in the U.S. after fleeing repressive governments and asking to speak to lawyers before being deported. Kenis Adalberto López, a 44-year-old from Nicaragua, expressed his distress, stating, "I’d rather die here than in Africa." An agent reportedly boarded the bus and fired pepper balls at the men, and López was hit twice in the chest with projectiles before being strapped to a stretcher and carried onto the plane for the approximately 24-hour journey to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.
More than 25,000 people have been expelled from the U.S. under a program initiated during the Trump administration to deport asylum seekers and other migrants to third countries where they have no ties. A federal appeals court recently ordered a pause on the program, stating that the government failed to provide migrants with a meaningful opportunity to challenge their deportations. The Trump administration has indicated plans to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court, with Attorney General Todd Blanche defending the program as a legal measure to control illegal immigration.
The deportation of López and 42 others to Bangui has drawn attention to the tactics used by officials to enforce deportations. López and others recounted their experiences in phone interviews from Africa. The plane carried migrants from various countries, including Iran, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Human rights lawyers have noted that many deportees had no criminal records and had been granted special protections against being returned to their home countries due to potential torture.
Witnesses reported that two men who resisted boarding the plane were placed in full-body restraint suits during the flight, while all deportees were shackled at the ankles and wrists. After stops in two other African countries, the plane arrived in the Central African Republic, a nation facing ongoing civil unrest and significant poverty. The migrants received vaccinations for yellow fever and were taken to a monitored housing complex.
Bangui is currently dealing with a cholera outbreak and has been experiencing water shortages and power outages. The U.S. government has issued warnings against travel to the Central African Republic due to crime and unrest. Human rights groups have tracked three flights carrying U.S. deportees to the country since June, with many deportees reporting that their identity documents were confiscated upon detention, complicating their ability to leave.
Yasmani Moreno, who arrived in Florida from Cuba in 2016, documented his experiences in Africa on social media, expressing his concerns about being sent to a country with significant instability. The Central African Republic has faced decades of conflict, and Moreno highlighted the challenges faced by deportees, including being kidnapped shortly after arrival.
Luis Hernández, who fled Nicaragua after participating in pro-democracy protests, was also deported despite having been granted protection from torture. He described his experiences in detention and the circumstances leading to his deportation, expressing fears about his safety in the Central African Republic and hopes for a return to the U.S.
The Trump administration has expanded the pool of migrants eligible for deportation, including asylum seekers. An investigation revealed that the U.S. has allocated significant funds to third countries willing to accept deportees, raising concerns about the safety and treatment of those sent to these nations. Hernández and others have expressed their distress over the conditions they face and their uncertain futures.