Honduran man deported to Central African Republic ordered returned after due process violation
Sep 25, 2026·Location: CO
Country of origin: Honduras

Bryan Omar Sánchez, a Honduran man who had lived in Colorado for about a decade working as a gardener, truck driver, and pressure-washing business owner, was detained by ICE at his home on May 13 and moved through detention centers in Texas and Arizona. Despite a 2020 Convention Against Torture protection barring his return to Honduras and a pending asylum claim, he was placed on a nearly 22-hour flight to the Central African Republic on July 29 without his consent; one officer reportedly mocked him, asking 'Hey, Honduras, why are you going to Africa?' while Sánchez protested, 'Africa? I can't go to Africa.' Once in Bangui, he described being held in a shelter with restricted movement, facing language barriers and limited access to services, prompting Honduras' National Human Rights Commissioner (Conadeh) to demand urgent consular assistance and verification of his well-being. While detained, Sánchez represented himself in filings with Colorado's federal court, arguing he should not have been removed to a country he had never visited. U.S. District Judge Regina M. Rodríguez ruled that ICE violated his due process rights by giving him no notice or opportunity to challenge the removal, and ordered the government to return him to Colorado and release him without conditions such as GPS monitoring.
Timeline
Sources
- For the first time, court orders US government to return migrant deported to Africa
english.elpais.com·Sep 24, 2026·archived copy
- Judge orders return of Honduran migrant deported to Central African Republic
www-cdn.abcnews.com·Sep 21, 2026·archived copy
- Court Orders Trump Administration to Bring Deported Migrant Back to U.S. from Africa
cubaheadlines.com·Sep 24, 2026
- Honduran rights body demands probe into deportee sent to Central African Republic
distantnews.com·Aug 14, 2026
- Colorado judge orders man who was deported to Africa back to the state
durangoherald.com·Sep 25, 2026
- noticiassin.com
- Conadeh pide asistencia consular urgente para hondureño deportado por EE. UU. a África
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