Full Breakdown
U.S. “Third-Country” Deportations Send Detainees to Africa
8/12/2026, 8:37:38 PM
The Operation in Practice
In the summer of 2026, U.S. immigration officials transferred a small group of ICE detainees to a military cargo plane in Djibouti. After a day-long flight, five men—including 59-year-old Roberto Mosquera, a former Cuban-Mariel immigrant—arrived in Eswatini and were placed in a metal cage on a truck that took them to the Matsapha Correctional Complex, the country’s maximum-security prison.
A separate flight carrying roughly 80 detainees, many shackled, departed the United States for Central Africa. After stops in Senegal and Nigeria, the aircraft landed in Bangui, Central African Republic on July 31, 2026. Passengers were confined for about 36 hours, vaccinated, and then housed in a hotel on 90-day visas while they awaited further instructions.
Why the United States Is Using “Third Countries”
Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the administration has expanded a policy of “third-country” removals, contracting with nations that do not share borders with the United States. According to Third Country Deportation Watch—a joint project of Refugees International and Human Rights First—about 22,000 people have been sent to “third countries” under the “Banished by Bargain” program. The Central African Republic is one of 35 such destinations that have agreed to accept deportees in exchange for U.S. contracts worth $44 million.
Numbers and Scope
- ? 80 detainees on the Bangui flight, including Cubans, Ecuadorians, Hondurans, and others.
- Four additional detainees were sent to Eswatini alongside Mosquera, whose companions hailed from Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Vietnam.
Official Statements & Responses
U.S. officials have defended the practice as a lawful enforcement of immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security’s X post described the deportees in stark terms, asserting that the United States must remove individuals who pose a security risk.
The department also confirmed that on January 6, 2026 ICE arrested Aristides Fernandez-Garcia, a Cuban national, during a scheduled asylum hearing and processed him for “expedited removal.” DHS told L.A. TACO that the judge terminated his proceedings the same day.
On-the-Ground Accounts
During the 36-hour confinement, detainees received a single vaccine dose that caused temporary illness for some, and a daily prophylactic pill to guard against local diseases. After disembarkation, a local African deportee helped purchase a phone, and the group was placed in a hotel with a 90-day visa.
Aristides later recounted conditions in U.S. detention centers, noting that medical care was often delayed and that “If you went to the medical center, they would handcuff you.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The U.S. government has not disclosed the legal basis for selecting specific African nations or the terms of the $44 million contracts. Neither the host governments nor independent observers have provided detailed information on the detainees’ legal status after their visas expire, leaving a significant information gap about their long-term fate.
Verbatim Quotes
- “If you went to the medical center, they would handcuff you,” — Aristides Fernandez-Garcia, detainee
What’s Next
U.S. officials have not announced any changes to the third-country removal program. The 90-day visas granted to the Bangui detainees are set to expire in late 2026, after which the individuals’ legal status in the Central African Republic remains uncertain.
