The US government advises Americans not to travel to the Central African Republic “for any reason.” But it just deported nearly two dozen people to the war-torn country, including several refugees who fled persecution in other nations.

On Friday morning, Human Rights First’s deportation flight tracker reported that a plane used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had landed in Accra, Ghana, after departing from Louisiana the previous day and was believed to be en route to the CAR’s capital, Bangui.

According to their lawyers, several of the migrants had received court orders from judges prohibiting their deportation to their home countries, citing the risk of persecution there.

A lawyer for one of the Iranian women told the Times that neither of them has a criminal record and that they both have been granted court protection due to fear of threats to their freedom or lives if they returned to Iran. One is a Christian convert, and the other is a pro-democracy activist.