Shackled or chainedCAT/Withholding of Removal
People with CAT or withholding protection shackled for removal to third countries
Stories describe people granted protection from removal under CAT or withholding orders being shackled at wrists, legs, and waist and flown to third countries such as Liberia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo, and the Central African Republic, rather than their home countries, with accounts of detention lasting months and separation from spouses and children. Cases span states including California, Florida, Texas, and Maryland. First documented in October 2025, the pattern became recurring by August 2026, peaking in September 2026, and now forms a larger share of reported cases than earlier in the record.
First documented Oct 2025, recurring since Aug 2026. A larger share of recent stories than earlier ones.
Share of each month's well-documented stories, Jan 2025 to Oct 2026. Volume is not shown: coverage grew over the record, shares did not have to.
19 stories in 5 states. What accompanies this practice →
“Un día menos pensado, cuando estaba en la celda, los del centro de detención llegaron y me llamaron por mi nombre y me dijeron: alístate que te van a remover. Me sacaron, llevaron al aeropuerto Alejandría en Luisiana. Iba encadenado de pies, mano y cintura, como un criminal (...) Eso fue una tortura, un calvario”
Arizona
California
Florida
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Pietro G.L.: Gay Brazilian man deported to Equatorial Guinea despite winning torture protection rulingPietro Graza de Lima, who ran a small business in Orlando for seven years after fleeing violence in Brazil, won protection from deportation but was flown instead to Equatorial Guinea, where he lost contact with his lawyers.Orlando, FL · Sep 11, 2026 · valorinternational.globo.com, Miami Herald, Lookout News +4
Jorge C.: Colombian father with court protection deported by ICE to DR CongoJorge Cubillos, 42, a truck driver who lived in Florida with his wife and four children since 2018, was deported in shackles to the Democratic Republic of Congo despite legal protection from removal.Orlando, FL · May 22, 2026 · Greyta Studio, Naira Voice, My News 13 +11
Roberto B.: Venezuelan journalist with torture protection shackled by ICE, bused to TapachulaRoberto Betancourt, a Venezuelan journalist whose wife and two children remain in Miami, was shuttled through 12 detention facilities over six months despite protection barring his return to Venezuela, then bused to Mexico in January 2026.“I had to go back to Tapachula and stay in the park, with nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, the same story.” — Humberto GarcíaMiami, FL · Jan 28, 2026 · Forbidden Stories, Fact in Face, JLA Noticias
Louisiana
Maryland
Location not tied to one state
Tesfay T.: Ethiopian torture survivor shackled and deported to Cameroon by ICETesfay, a 35-year-old Ethiopian torture survivor granted protection from deportation, was pressured into signing removal papers and flown to Cameroon chained at the wrists, legs and stomach for the entire flight.Oct 8, 2026 · Human Rights Watch
Nika: Iranian woman deported to Central African Republic despite winning US protection orderNika, a 32-year-old Iranian woman who had won protection from being sent back to Iran, was instead deported to the Central African Republic, where she has since gotten malaria and faces police harassment.CA · Sep 21, 2026 · Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NBC News +5
Three Nicaraguans with no ties deported to Central African Republic by ICEThree Nicaraguan men with no ties to the Central African Republic were deported there in handcuffs and left stranded in Bangui, despite protections barring their return to Nicaragua.Sep 14, 2026 · Divergentes, Infobae, Luxe Chronicle
Peta-Gaye C.: Jamaican woman deported to Equatorial Guinea despite 2013 protection orderPeta-Gaye Chambers, 35, who came from Jamaica as a child, had been protected from deportation since 2013 over fears of persecution. She was deported to Equatorial Guinea anyway in June and says she was dragged from her room at gunpoint.Malabo, Equatorial Guinea · Sep 8, 2026 · Tucson.com, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Click2Houston
Carlos T.S.: Venezuelan father deported by ICE to Liberia despite court order protecting himCarlos Téllez-Sanchez, a Venezuelan father who worked at a car dealership and for Uber Eats, was deported to Liberia despite a court order protecting him, missing his newborn son's birth after nearly eight months in detention.TX · Aug 21, 2026 · PACER Monitor, Últimas Noticias, US Inquirer +9
Venezuelan man chained on deportation flight to Liberia, separated from familyA 45-year-old Venezuelan wind-energy worker was detained at a routine check-in, shackled hand and foot for a 15-hour flight to Liberia, and separated from his wife and children, who remain in the U.S.Aug 19, 2026 · El País, Distant News- Venezuelan father with protected status held eight months, deported to LiberiaA 36-year-old Venezuelan man who fled political persecution was detained for eight months, deported to Liberia in shackles, and missed his son's birth while in custody.Aug 19, 2026 · El País, World Press A, Eastern Herald +2
Ghanaian LGBTQ+ women deported to Cameroon, held two months in compoundSoraya, a Ghanaian woman granted protection from deportation, was instead sent to Cameroon with two other Ghanaian LGBTQ+ women, shackled, held two months, and freed only after a hunger strike.“You couldn't move, and it felt like we had committed some kind of crime, like terrorism. I felt like a terrorist because what on earth did I do to be shackled like that to the point that I couldn't move. I just came to the US for safety. I didn't expect that at all.”Aug 5, 2026 · Ghana Tomorrow, France 24
Aylin: Gay Turkish asylum seeker deported to Central African Republic despite protection orderAylin, a 28-year-old gay Turkish woman protected from deportation to Turkey, says she was shackled and flown to the Central African Republic instead, a country she had never heard of, before returning to Turkey in fear.Jul 1, 2026 · CNN, K.D. Sherpa, JRL Charts +1Carlos R.: Diabetic Colombian man shackled without food, deported to Congo by ICECarlos Rodelo, 43, fled extortion in Colombia and won protection barring his return there, but ICE shackled him and flew him to Congo anyway. He later returned home to Colombia through a voluntary return program.Apr 21, 2026 · Greyta Studio, Latin Times, El País +7
Juan B.: Nicaraguan former political prisoner stripped of nationality deported to Honduras by ICEJuan Barilla, 35, a Nicaraguan farmer and former political prisoner resettled in Louisiana, was taken into ICE custody after a DUI arrest. He was deported to Honduras in November 2025 and now fears retaliation from Nicaragua's government.“Un día menos pensado, cuando estaba en la celda, los del centro de detención llegaron y me llamaron por mi nombre y me dijeron: alístate que te van a remover. Me sacaron, llevaron al aeropuerto Alejandría en Luisiana. Iba encadenado de pies, mano y cintura, como un criminal (...) Eso fue una tortura, un calvario” — Juan BarillaDec 1, 2025 · Human Rights Watch, El Heraldo, 100 Noticias +1- Man protected from deportation to El Salvador deported there by ICEA man with protection against torture was deported to El Salvador despite that protection, passed shackled through Mexico and Guatemala; his family has had no contact with him since October 9.Oct 9, 2025 · Human Rights First, CourtListener, American Immigration Council