West African deportees sue over US expulsions to Ghana

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Accra: Eleven West African migrants deported from the United States to Ghana have filed a lawsuit in a US federal court, questioning the Trump administration's policy of deporting migrants to nations other than their own through so-called ‘third-country’ arrangements.

The plaintiffs, from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and The Gambia, allege they were removed despite US court protections against being returned to their home countries due to threats of persecution or torture. They contend that sending them to Ghana basically ignored legal safeguards, as some were ultimately compelled to return to their home countries.

According to the lawsuit, the deportees were detained illegally after landing in Ghana, had little to no warning, and were not given a meaningful chance to contest their transfer. Rights organisations claim that by exposing vulnerable migrants to the very risks they were shielded from, the program breaches both US and international duties.

The case is the most recent court challenge to the Trump administration's growing use of third-country deportation arrangements with a number of African and other countries. Human rights organisations and immigration advocates have criticised this policy.