The Trump administration has quietly extended its practice of expelling migrants to nations where they hold no citizenship or prior connections, with Africa now serving as a destination for this expanding operation. Internal U.S. government records reviewed by CBS News indicate that over a span of ten days, more than one hundred individuals—hailing from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, and elsewhere—were transported to eight different African nations.
According to those records, three separate flights operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried groups of men and women to Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. In every instance, the individuals aboard were not nationals of the countries that received them. The passenger manifest included not only Afghans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans but also citizens of Iran, Nepal, Turkey, and Venezuela, alongside African detainees who were sent to nations other than their own.
These newly surfaced federal documents, which had not been publicized before, shed light on the administration's broader strategy of leveraging third-country agreements to relocate deportees to distant locations. While more than thirty nations worldwide—including Costa Rica, Panama, and Paraguay in Latin America—have consented to accept such individuals, a notable number of recent pacts have been struck with countries facing severe instability. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, both beset by armed conflict, political turmoil, and human rights concerns, are among those that have entered into these arrangements.
The specifics of these international deals have largely remained out of public view. However, the documents suggest that some nations, such as Ghana and Sierra Leone, have limited their participation to accepting deportees from other African states. In contrast, countries like Eswatini, the Central African Republic, and Liberia have taken in individuals from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
While some of those sent to Africa have criminal records alongside their immigration violations—notably those dispatched to Eswatini and South Sudan, where authorities have detained them—many others have no criminal history at all. Their only infraction was entering the U.S. without authorization or lacking the requisite paperwork to remain, as detailed in the records.
The most recent of the three ICE flights concluded with drop-offs in Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic. The latter, a landlocked nation plagued by prolonged conflict and the presence of Russian mercenaries, is considered among the most perilous places on earth. The U.S. State Department has issued a "Level 4" advisory, urging Americans to avoid all travel there due to pervasive violence and instability.
When approached for comment, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded with a statement asserting that the U.S. is legally obligated to identify a safe and secure alternative nation for an illegal alien who contests removal to their homeland in court. Conversely, DHS noted, those who voluntarily agree to return home receive a complimentary flight and a $3,000 payment. "The choice is theirs," the statement read. Meanwhile, a State Department spokesperson declined to address what they termed "private diplomatic communications with other governments" or the validity of allegedly leaked materials. They did, however, reaffirm that executing the administration's immigration agenda remains a paramount objective, with an unwavering commitment to curbing illegal and mass migration and fortifying border security.
Among those on the latest flight to the Central African Republic was a 24-year-old Afghan man referred to only as Khalil. His lawyer and brother recounted that he had entered the U.S. illegally via the southern border in 2024 after traversing Latin America. Throughout his time in the U.S., he remained in ICE custody. Khalil's journey was driven by a desire to reunite with siblings—one of whom had been relocated to the U.S. in 2014 following his service alongside American troops in the Afghan Army, while another brother, a pilot who fought the Taliban, was killed in the war.
While detained in August 2025, an immigration judge granted Khalil "withholding of removal," a form of legal protection based on a finding that he would face persecution if returned to Afghanistan. He was not granted asylum—a more durable status—due to a Biden-era rule disqualifying those who did not first pursue protection in another country en route to the U.S., according to court documents.
Although this protection prevented ICE from deporting him to Afghanistan, it did not shield him from being sent to a third country. The administration has increasingly targeted individuals with such limited protections for removal to alternative nations, the documents indicate. Alma David, Khalil's attorney, voiced alarm, stating, "The goal is to obliterate the global refugee protection system, and his case should serve as a warning of the unconscionable consequences." CBS News has withheld Khalil's full surname out of fear that he or his relatives could be endangered by the Taliban.
Zachary Schmidt, an active-duty Marine colonel who oversaw Khalil's brother during an Afghanistan deployment, expressed apprehension about Khalil's safety in the volatile Central African Republic and the possibility of his eventual return to Afghanistan. Schmidt, who noted threats from Taliban militants against Khalil's family, told CBS News in a personal capacity, "It is my belief that if Khalil gets sent back to Afghanistan, that he will be killed."