The Trump administration has deported US immigration detainees including Cuban immigrant Yasmany Moreno de Armas to the Central African Republic, a landlocked nation facing severe armed conflict, political instability, and a Level 4 travel advisory from the State Department warning Americans not to visit. Moreno de Armas, a 31-year-old former Florida resident, learned of his destination only after arriving in the capital city of Bangui in late July alongside detainees from countries such as Ecuador, Honduras, Serbia, Russia, and Vietnam, according to CBS News.
Third-Country Deportations Target Immigrants With Legal Protections
According to CBS News, the U.S. government has convinced more than 30 countries to accept third-country deportees amid a large-scale immigration crackdown. Federal authorities have primarily utilized these agreements to remove individuals whose home nations reject or limit U.S. deportations, or who secured legal protections in U.S. immigration courts barring their return to their countries of origin due to safety concerns. Moreno de Armas arrived in Florida by boat in September 2016 under the parole authority of the wet foot, dry foot policy. U.S. immigration officials arrested him in May 2025 after his green card application under the Cuban Adjustment Act was denied because he filed it after his parole expired. He spent roughly a year in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before his removal to Africa. Moreno de Armas stated to CBS News that he faces potential danger in Cuba due to a prior imprisonment for illegal exit after his first attempt to flee the country.
Stateless Deportees Stranded in Foreign Nations
Zena Gebrgzabher, a 39-year-old native of Eritrea, is also stranded in the Central African Republic after being ejected from the U.S., according to CBS News. Gebrgzabher worked as a truck driver in Maryland, where his wife and 5-year-old son live as American citizens. In 2017, an immigration judge granted Gebrgzabher protection under the Convention Against Torture, barring his deportation to Eritrea. Court documents reviewed by CBS News show he did not receive permanent asylum because he served as a checkpoint guard in the Eritrean military as a forcibly conscripted 18-year-old, which judges ruled made him ineligible due to a rule disqualifying those who assisted in persecuting others. While his legal protection blocked his removal to Eritrea, it did not prevent officials from sending him to a third country. Neither Moreno de Armas nor Gebrgzabher had criminal records beyond immigration and traffic violations, according to CBS News. Both men reported having no documents, money, or knowledge of the local language or culture in the Central African Republic.
Did You Know?
The State Department maintains a Level 4 travel advisory—its highest warning level—for the Central African Republic, advising U.S. citizens not to travel there due to widespread insecurity, armed conflict, and the presence of Russian mercenaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are detainees being sent to third countries like the Central African Republic?
According to CBS News, the Trump administration uses third-country deportation agreements to remove immigrants whose home nations refuse U.S. deportations or who hold legal protections from immigration courts that prevent their return to their home countries.
What legal protections did Zena Gebrgzabher hold?
An immigration judge granted Gebrgzabher protection under the Convention Against Torture in 2017, which legally barred federal authorities from deporting him to Eritrea.
Can third-country deportees return to the U.S. or leave their host nations?
Deportees like Moreno de Armas are currently stranded without documents, facing difficulties leaving the Central African Republic, where they lack local ties or familiarity with the region.
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