The Afghan national granted protection in the United States is one of dozens of people forcibly returned to the war-torn Central African Republic.
Published August 30, 2026
President Donald Trump’s administration has deported dozens of people to the Central African Republic, including Afghans whose families cooperated with the U.S. military, Trump’s lawyers and advocacy groups announced.
Lawyer Alma David said the Afghan man, in his early 20s, was granted protection from deportation to Afghanistan by a U.S. judge due to fears of persecution by the Taliban.
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AfghanEvac, a US-based advocacy group supporting allies in Afghanistan, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First also confirmed his deportation.
His family in Afghanistan had received threats from the country’s ruling Taliban over his brother’s involvement in supporting U.S. forces, according to court documents seen by The Associated Press.
One of the Afghan men’s brothers lives in the United States and served in the Afghan National Army, which worked with the U.S. military before the Taliban seized power in 2021, David said.
Another brother was a pilot trained by the US but was later killed by the Taliban, she added.
The Afghan man, identified only as Khalil, said his sister and father also served with the U.S. military, The New York Times reported.
The deportation flight landed in the Central African Republic’s capital Bangui on Saturday, carrying 12 Afghans and eight Iranians, as well as several people from Nepal and Nicaragua, said Savi Arvey, director of policy, refugee and migrant rights at Human Rights First.
Human rights groups say this is the third deportation flight from the United States to the Central African Republic this year.
As the Trump administration cracks down on immigration, it is sending thousands of people to unrelated third countries under a series of often secret agreements.
The latest US State Department travel advisory warns citizens not to travel to African countries for any reason, citing risks of insecurity, crime, kidnapping, health and “terrorism.”
