U.S. Deports an Afghan Whose Brothers Worked With American Forces to the Central African Republic

The United States deported dozens of people to the Central African Republic on Aug. 29, 2026, among them an Afghan man in his early twenties whose brothers had worked with the U.S. military, his lawyer and an advocacy group told the Associated Press. His lawyer, Alma David, said a U.S. judge had granted him protection against removal to Afghanistan because of the risk of Taliban persecution. Court documents seen by the AP indicate his family in Afghanistan received Taliban threats over his brothers' work. One brother served in the Afghan National Army; another, a U.S.-trained pilot, was killed by the Taliban.

The flight that landed in Bangui carried 12 Afghans and eight Iranians as well as people from Nepal and Nicaragua, according to Human Rights First. Immigration lawyers say third-country removals under often-secret agreements can indirectly return asylum seekers toward countries they fled, without the review a direct removal would require.

It was the second such flight to the Central African Republic since June.