Protesters and ICE agents clash at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility on 6 June in Newark, New Jersey. In many cases, deportees have secured legal protections from US immigration courts against their repatriation. But rights groups say the third-country deals allow the US to circumvent those protections.

• The Central African Republic agreed to take in migrants from other countries deported by the United States.
• Rights groups say third-country deals allow the US to circumvent legal protections against repatriation granted by immigration courts.
• The International Organisation for Migration will assist deportees, with the US awarding $85 million for CAR operations.

The Central African Republic has agreed to take in migrants from other countries deported by the United States, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, the latest example of the Trump administration striking deals with African states to accelerate removals.

Washington has sent so-called third-country deportees to African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea, under opaque deals that Senate Democrats say have cost tens of millions of dollars.

In many cases, deportees had secured legal protections from US immigration courts against their repatriation. But rights groups say the third-country deals allow the US to circumvent those protections.

Deal discussed with US delegation

Washington has defended the deportations as lawful. The deal with the Central ‌African Republic was discussed during an 18 May meeting in Bangui with a US delegation led by Christian Jové Ehrhardt, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, a Central African government official told Reuters.

“Central African Republic will indeed take in, within the framework of agreements with the US, immigrants deported ‌by American authorities,” said the official, ⁠who requested anonymity.

A diplomat based in the region, also speaking on condition of anonymity, also said a deal had been reached.

Timing of first flights unclear

The Central African Republic has endured repeated cycles of unrest since its independence from France in 1960, leaving most of its 5.5 million people in poverty.

President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who won a third term in an election held last December, has turned to Russia for security support, while also signalling a renewed interest in Western partnerships for critical minerals.

Neither the Central African government source nor the diplomat based in the region had details on how many migrants would be sent to the country, their nationalities or when ⁠the flights might start, though one recent court judgment shows attempts have already started.

US District Judge Lee Rosenthal, on 22 May, issued a temporary restraining order blocking the deportation of a Turkish national, noting that US officials had planned to remove the person to the Central African Republic on 26 May.

Assitance for deportees

An official at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed to Reuters that the agency would assist deportees once they arrive in the Central African Republic.

The IOM has already provided assistance to third-country deportees elsewhere in Africa, including Congo.

READ | ANALYSIS: US-Africa migrant deals ramp up as government transparency fails

The US this year awarded $85 million to the IOM for operations in the Central African Republic. An ⁠IOM spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Central African Presidency and the State ‌Department did not respond ‌to requests for comment. The Department of Homeland Security said all deportees were receiving full due process. It referred “questions on agreement specifics” to the State Department.