A 28-year-old gay Turkish woman named Aylin was deported by the US to the Central African Republic despite a judge granting her withholding of removal. After spending weeks in Bangui, she eventually returned to Turkey, where she now faces a renewed government crackdown on LGBTQ rights.
The 35 Trump-era agreements driving third-country removals
The United States has increasingly shifted away from returning migrants to their home nations, opting instead to send them to third countries willing to accept them. According to the nonprofit initiative Third Country Deportation Watch, the Trump administration signed at least 35 such agreements across Latin America and Africa. This strategy allows the government to execute removal orders even when the migrant's home country is deemed too dangerous for their return.
This trend creates a precarious legal gray area for asylum seekers. While a migrant may win a legal battle against being sent back to their country of origin, these third-country agreements act as a secondary mechanism for removal. Immigration advocates argue that this practice effectively bypasses the spirit of asylum protections by placing vulnerable individuals in unfamiliar territories where they lack support systems and legal standing.
Aylin's fllight to Bangui and the 2023 State Department warning
Aylin spent 18 months in US detention before being shackled and flown to the Central African Republic (CAR) in July, a destination she only learned of mid-flight. As reported by CNN, her case was complicated by a Biden-era border policy that restricted asylum eligibility for those crossing the southern border outside official channels—a policy that a federal judge has since struck down.
Upon arriving in the CAR capital of Bangui, Aylin encountered a society where, although homosexuality is not explicitly illegal, it is viewed with extreme hostility. A 2023 report by the US State Department noted that maintaining same-sex relationships in the CAR is extraordinarily dangerous. This reality was mirrored in CNN's own encounters on the streets of Bangui, where locals expressed that LGBTQ individuals "should be killed."
Adwoa's transfer to Cameroon and the risk of five-year prison terms
The risks associated with third-country removals extend beyond the CAR. Adwoa, a 21-year-old bisexual woman from Ghana, was sent to Cameroon despite a US court guarantee that she would not be returned to Ghana. In Cameroon, same-sex relations are illegal and can be punished by up to five years in prison. adwoa is currently residing in a government-run detention facility in Cameroon, describing the experience as feeling like a criminal.
Bridget Crawford of the NGO Immigration Equality emphasizes that these deportations are "unconscionable" when queer or trans people are sent to nations that actively persecute them.. Crawford notes that her organization has represented multiple Cameroonian nationals claiming persecution, yet the US continues to use Cameroon as a destination for third-country removals.
The Supreme Court's pending review of the DHS deportation loophole
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that these third-country agreements are lawful tools essential for homeland safety. In a statement to CNN, the DHS asserted that migrants receive due process and that the agency is simply applying the law as written to remove those with no right to remain in the US.
However, the legal validity of this approach is currently under scrutiny. A federal appeals court recently upheld a February ruling stating that parts of the third-country deportation policy were unlawful, specifically regarding whether migrants have adequate opportunities to challenge their transfers.. This case is expected to reach the Supreme Court.. Furthermore,while Third Country Deportation Watch reports thousands of such deportations this year , the US government has failed to provide specific data on how many of these individuals sought protection based on their sexuality.
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