The Trump administration sent more than 100 migrants from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries to eight African nations over a 10-day period, according to documents reported by CBS News, marking a significant expansion of the government's use of third countries to carry out deportations when migrants aren't returned to their nations of citizenship.
Three Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights transported the deportees to Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, CBS News reported. None of the migrants were citizens of the African countries that received them.
The passengers came from a broad range of nations, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Nepal, Nicaragua, Turkey and Venezuela. The flights also included African migrants removed to African countries other than their own, according to the report.
The operation illustrates the growing geographic reach of a deportation strategy that has become an important component of President Trump's immigration crackdown. More than 30 countries have agreed to receive migrants being deported by the U.S. who aren't their own citizens, CBS News reported.
Those governments include Costa Rica, Panama and Paraguay in Latin America, but agreements with African countries are playing an increasingly prominent role. The arrangements aren't uniform: Some governments restrict which nationalities they will accept, while others have agreed to receive migrants originating from Latin America, Asia, Europe and elsewhere.
The destinations can carry substantial security risks. The Central African Republic, which received migrants on the most recent flight documented by CBS News, is subject to the State Department's highest travel warning, "Level 4: Do Not Travel."
The U.S. warning cites unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines, health risks and terrorism. The State Department also warns that the American government's capacity to provide emergency assistance inside the country is limited.
The criminal histories of people subjected to third-country deportations vary significantly, according to CBS News. Some migrants previously transferred to African nations had been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S., while others had no criminal records beyond immigration-related violations.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the policy as a consequence of legal restrictions that can prevent the government from returning certain migrants to their countries of origin.
"If an illegal alien chooses to file a claim in court refusing to go to their home country, we are required by law to find a safe and secure nation for them to go to," DHS told CBS News.
The State Department declined to verify the documents obtained by CBS News or discuss negotiations with governments accepting deportees. It said carrying out the administration's immigration policies remains a priority.
Among the cases documented by CBS News is Khalil, a 24-year-old Afghan man who was sent to the Central African Republic after an immigration judge had previously protected him from deportation to Afghanistan.
Khalil entered the U.S. through the southern border in 2024 and remained in ICE custody. In August 2025, an immigration judge granted him withholding of removal after determining that he could face persecution if returned to Afghanistan.
That ruling barred his removal to Afghanistan but didn't necessarily prohibit the government from deporting him to a different country willing to accept him. His case therefore illustrates how third-country agreements can provide the administration with another avenue for removing migrants who have obtained legal protection against returning to their home countries.
Khalil's family also has ties to the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan. One of his brothers served alongside American forces as a member of the Afghan Army and was brought to the U.S. in 2014, according to CBS News. Another brother, a pilot who fought the Taliban, was killed during the war.
Alma David, Khalil's attorney, criticized the decision to send him to the Central African Republic. Zachary Schmidt, an active-duty Marine colonel who supervised Khalil's brother in Afghanistan and testified during Khalil's immigration proceedings, also raised concerns about what the removal could mean for Afghans whose families assisted American forces.
"We have to keep that promise," Schmidt told CBS News, referring to what he described as the U.S. commitment to Afghans who supported American troops and their families.
