By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Central African Republic (CAR) has joined the growing list of African countries to have agreed to take in migrants from other countries deported by the United States, Reuters quoted two sources familiar with the matter as confirming, the latest effort by the Donald Trump’s administration to strike deal with African countries to accelerate the removal of illegal migrants.
Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea, are some of the African countries to have received deportees from the US, under a deal the Senate Democrats say have cost tens of millions of dollars.
Deportees had in some cases secured legal protections from immigration courts in the U.S. against their repatriation, but rights groups say the third-country deals allow the U.S. to circumvent those protections. Washington however insists the deportations as lawful.
The deal with Central African Republic was discussed during a May 18 meeting in Bangui with a U.S. delegation led by Christian Jové Ehrhardt, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Reuters quoted a Central African government official as saying.
“Central African Republic will indeed take in, within the framework of agreements with the U.S., 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.
Central African Republic has endured repeated cycles of unrest since 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, though he has also signaled a renewed interest in Western partnerships for critical minerals.
There is currently no information on how many migrants would be sent to the country, their nationalities or when the flights might start.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal on May 22 issued a temporary restraining order blocking the deportation of a Turkish national, noting that U.S. officials had planned to remove the person to Central African Republic on May 26.
