Yasmany Moreno de Armas, a 31-year-old Cuban immigrant who had been living and working in Florida, now finds himself in the Central African Republic. He is among dozens of individuals recently deported to the impoverished, conflict-stricken nation as part of a sweeping U.S. immigration enforcement initiative.
Moreno de Armas reported that he was unaware of his destination until he arrived in the country’s capital, Bangui, in late July. He was transported alongside detainees from various nations, including Russia, Serbia, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Honduras. Speaking via a video call from a facility in Bangui, he described the dire situation of the group: “We cannot leave, we don’t have documents and we’re suffering and missing our families, in a continent we don’t know.” When asked if he had any prior knowledge of the Central African Republic, he stated he had “never” heard of it.
The Central African Republic is currently classified under a Level 4 travel advisory by the U.S. State Department, which warns against all travel due to widespread insecurity, political instability, and the presence of armed groups and foreign mercenaries. Despite these risks, the landlocked nation is one of more than 30 countries that have entered into agreements with the U.S. government to accept third-country deportees.
Zena Gebrgzabher, 39, an Eritrean native who previously worked as a truck driver in Maryland, is also stranded in the country. His wife, Yrgalem Gehrehiwet, and their 5-year-old son are U.S. citizens. Gehrehiwet described the situation as inhumane, noting that their son, Nathan, is deeply affected by his father’s absence. “I miss my family,” Gebrgzabher said during a video call, adding that his son frequently asks about his father’s whereabouts.
Neither man appears to have a criminal record beyond immigration and traffic violations. The Trump administration has increasingly utilized third-country deportation agreements to remove individuals whose home countries refuse to accept them, or who have secured legal protections in the U.S. that prevent their return to their nations of origin.
Moreno de Armas arrived in Florida by boat in 2016 and was initially granted parole. However, his application for a green card under the Cuban Adjustment Act was denied because it was filed after his parole expired. He was arrested in May 2025 and held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for approximately one year before his removal.
Gebrgzabher’s case involves a 2017 immigration court ruling that granted him protection under the Convention Against Torture, barring his return to Eritrea. Although he did not receive full asylum—due to a rule disqualifying those who may have assisted in the persecution of others during his time as a forced conscript in the Eritrean military—the court’s ruling did not prevent the government from sending him to a third country.
After being granted protection, Gebrgzabher had been checking in with immigration officials regularly until his arrest last year. Both men expressed frustration at being effectively stateless in a country where they lack cultural ties and language proficiency. “If you’re going to be deported, it should be to your home country, not to another country where you don’t know the culture,” Moreno de Armas said.
The Department of Homeland Security has not provided details regarding the specific nature of the agreement with the Central African Republic or the criteria used to select the individuals sent there. The administration continues to expand its use of these third-country arrangements as part of its broader strategy to manage immigration enforcement. The report also notes that the 31-year-old said he only learned the U.S. The report also notes that many of which are plagued by armed conflict, repressive governments and human rights abuses, the list includes a growing number of African countries. The report also notes that he asked like every day to my wife, ‘(where) is my daddy?'” he added. The report also notes that more than us because he loves his dad,” she told. The report also notes that since he was once imprisoned there after his first attempt to flee the communist-ruled island, moreno de Armas said he could be in danger in Cuba. The report also notes that cuban government documents show he was imprisoned for “illegal exit from the national territory.” His second attempt proved successful. The report also notes that under the “parole” legal authority that Cuban arrivals benefited from under the now-defunct “Wet Foot, Dry Foot” policy. The report also notes that they found him to be ineligible for asylum because of a rule that disqualifies those who may have assisted in the persecution of others, even though judges noted he was forcibly conscripted as an 18-year-old.
