• The US deported an Afghan who was granted protection against deportation due to Taliban threats.
• This individual is a relative of several family members who aided the US military.
• The deportation flight also included migrants from Iran, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
• Advocacy groups criticize the policy as a way to indirectly remove asylum seekers.
• This marks the third deportation flight to the Central African Republic this year.

The United States has deported dozens of individuals to the Central African Republic, including an Afghan national whose family members collaborated with the US military, according to aljazeera and npr. The Afghan man, referred to by his lawyer as Khalil, was previously granted protection from deportation due to fears of persecution by the Taliban.

This Afghan had received threats due to his brothers' support of the US military efforts, including one brother who served in the Afghan National Army and another who was killed by the Taliban, reports latimes and npr. The deportation flight on Saturday landed in Bangui, the Central African Republic's capital, carrying twelve Afghans and eight Iranians, among others.

The US administration has been criticized for using agreements to deport individuals to countries where they have no ties, effectively circumventing asylum protections, according to latimes and aljazeera. Advocates argue that these actions threaten the safety of asylum seekers returning to volatile regions, with this particular flight being the third such occurrence this year.