A 24-year-old Afghan man identified in court records as Khalil, who had previously been granted legal protection against removal to Afghanistan by a U.S. immigration judge due to the threat of Taliban persecution, was deported to the Central African Republic despite his protected status. His attorney, Alma David, said his family faced direct threats from the Taliban because of his brothers' history of supporting U.S. military operations, with one brother serving in the Afghan National Army and another, trained as a pilot by the U.S. military, killed by the Taliban. He was among 12 Afghans on a flight that arrived in Bangui, alongside eight Iranians and individuals from Nepal and Nicaragua.