Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 22
US Deports Dozens to Central African Republic, Stranding Cubans and Eritreans in Bangui
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 22

US Deports Dozens to Central African Republic, Stranding Cubans and Eritreans in Bangui

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 22

Summary

  • Dozens of deportees sent by the Trump administration to the Central African Republic in late July say they arrived with no prior notice and are now unable to leave a building in Bangui because they lack documents.
  • Two of them — 31-year-old Cuban Yasmany Moreno de Armas and 39-year-old Eritrean Zena Gebrgzabher — told CBS News they had no ties to the country, did not speak the language and were separated from families in the United States.
  • Their cases reflect a broader third-country deportation policy used when home countries limit returns or when migrants have legal protections blocking removal there; Gebrgzabher had won Convention Against Torture protection from deportation to Eritrea.
  • The Central African Republic is among more than 30 countries accepting such deportees, despite a Level 4 US travel advisory and conditions marked by poverty, armed conflict and political instability.

Insights

What happens to stateless deportees stranded in foreign conflict zones when their humanitarian protections fail to keep them safe?
How does a legal loophole allow the U.S. to deport protected immigrants to one of the world's most unstable nations?
Could secret international agreements redefine global migration by turning fragile nations into holding zones for unwanted deportees?