Story perspectives

US Sets Up Migrant Deportations to CAR, Judge Blocks

6/8/2026

Summary

CAR Accepts Deportees

The Central African Republic agreed to receive migrants deported by the United States.
U.S. officials discussed the arrangement on May 18 in Bangui with Deputy Assistant Secretary Christian Jové Ehrhardt.
Judge Lee Rosenthal issued a restraining order on May 22 blocking a deportation set for May 26 to the Central African Republic.
The International Organization for Migration will assist arrivals, funded by $85 million United States provided for work in Central African Republic.

Summary

Touadera Links Deportations

President Faustin-Archange Touadera arrived in Nairobi on May 12 for the Africa Forward Summit 2026, linking the U.S. deportation pact to his regional agenda.
The International Organization for Migration has already moved third-country deportees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, suggesting similar operations across Africa.
Central African officials said they lack details on migrant numbers, nationalities, or flight schedules, highlighting uncertainty over the deal’s rollout.

Summary

U.S. Issues Advisory

The U.S. State Department has a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for the Central African Republic because of kidnapping and terrorism.
Rights groups say a deportation plan would breach non-refoulement, which bars sending asylum seekers where they face torture or danger.
Over 1.4 million Central Africans—about a third of the population—are displaced, with President Touadéra, reliant on Russian security forces, viewing the U.S. deal as diversification linked to CAR’s mineral wealth.

History

Historical Context

In 1994 the United States, after years of intercepting Haitian boat people—38,000 by end-1992 and thousands held at Guantanamo—agreed with Haiti to return migrants, a move funded through a bilateral deal. The repatriations came amid the UN-backed Operation Uphold Democracy, authorized by Security Council Resolution 940 on 31 July 1994, and revived legal challenges over the U.S. non-refoulement policy.

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CAR Accepts Deportees

The Central African Republic agreed to receive migrants deported by the United States.
U.S. officials discussed the arrangement on May 18 in Bangui with Deputy Assistant Secretary Christian Jové Ehrhardt.
Judge Lee Rosenthal issued a restraining order on May 22 blocking a deportation set for May 26 to the Central African Republic.
The International Organization for Migration will assist arrivals, funded by $85 million United States provided for work in Central African Republic.

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