Men deported by the U.S. to the Central African Republic say they were told they could not leave

The men who said they were deported by the United States to the Central African Republic described a process they say left them trapped after arrival, telling CBS News they were warned, “We cannot leave.” The account centers on people U.S. authorities arrested in the context of the Trump administration’s expanded enforcement actions against illegal immigration and later transferred to a third country to serve deportation outcomes rather than being returned to their home countries.

CBS News reports that the Central African Republic is among more than 30 countries the U.S. government has asked to accept “third-country deportees.” Under that approach, the U.S. sends people it has taken into custody to countries willing to accept them, with the aim of moving cases forward and reducing the time people remain in U.S. custody while immigration enforcement proceeds.

According to the report, the men described detention and transfer arrangements that continued after they were placed on deportation transport. They said that once in the Central African Republic, their ability to leave the country was restricted and that they understood the restriction as a directive tied to how the transfers were structured. While the CBS News reporting reflects the men’s account of their treatment and constraints, the report does not provide independent verification within the cited material about the specific legal or administrative mechanism behind the restriction they described.

The report places the Central African Republic deportation episode within the broader U.S. crackdown framework associated with President Trump, describing it as part of the administration’s effort to scale up immigration enforcement and expand the range of countries used for removals. The CBS News account indicates that the U.S. has pursued third-country transfers widely, meaning the Central African Republic deportations are not portrayed as an isolated exception but as part of a broader policy for relocating detainees to partner countries willing to accept them.

In diplomatic and security terms, the Central African Republic is a country where instability and governance challenges complicate travel and residency. The CBS News reporting frames the issue as an immediate public safety and due-process concern for the individuals transferred, particularly if deportees are unable to leave a receiving country even when they face danger or lack of support.

The next steps for resolving the questions raised by the accounts will depend on whether the U.S. government provides documentation about the conditions of acceptance and transfer, and whether the Central African Republic authorities clarify the legal basis for restricting onward movement. It will also depend on whether the individuals or their representatives can access counsel and seek review of the circumstances of their transfer and post-arrival status.

For U.S. policy, the reporting highlights a practical implementation issue for third-country deportations: the human and legal ramifications of what happens after arrival, including movement restrictions, access to services, and the extent to which deportation outcomes align with the receiving countries’ ability to safely accommodate deportees. Absent a detailed explanation of the controlling rules, the accounts described in the CBS News report are likely to intensify questions from oversight channels about how third-country transfers are carried out and monitored.