ICE deports Afghans and others to Africa, expanding "third country" deportations
Updated on: August 30, 2026 / 9:19 PM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- The Trump administration has sent over 100 deportees to eight African countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone) as part of a "third country" deportation campaign.
- Deportees were from nations including Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Nepal, Turkey, and Venezuela, and had no ties to the African countries where they were sent.
- The "third country" deportation agreements are largely secret, with over 30 countries globally agreeing to receive such deportations from the U.S.
- Some African nations, like Ghana and Sierra Leone, have agreed to accept deportees from other African countries, while others have received detainees from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
- Concerns have been raised about the safety of deportees in conflict-ridden or unstable African nations.
- One case highlighted is an Afghan man who had received "withholding of removal" protection in the U.S. but was still deported to the Central African Republic, raising alarms about the administration's approach to limited protections and the refugee system.