A US-based civil rights group has filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully deporting migrants through Ghana as a “transit hub” to bypass protections granted by American immigration judges.
The complaint, lodged in the US District Court for the District of Columbia by Asian Americans Advancing Justice, alleges that non-citizens who had won protection from deportation were secretly flown to Ghana before being expelled to their countries of origin, despite facing credible threats of persecution or torture.
“Defendants know that they may not, consistent with US immigration law, directly deport non-citizens to countries from which they have been granted fear-based protection. As an end-run around this prohibition, Defendants have enlisted the government of Ghana to do their dirty work,” the suit stated.
According to court documents, five plaintiffs — nationals of Nigeria and The Gambia — were removed from detention in Louisiana on September 5 and placed on a US military cargo plane. Some were restrained in straitjackets for the 16-hour flight. None were informed of their destination until hours into the journey.
Upon arrival in Accra, the migrants were transferred to what the lawsuit described as “squalid conditions” at a remote open-air detention facility known as Dema Camp, where they were surrounded by armed guards.
The plaintiffs said they were denied the opportunity to raise asylum or persecution concerns in Ghana, which was never designated as a removal country during their immigration proceedings.
One plaintiff, identified as K.S., had previously been granted protection under the UN Convention Against Torture because of his sexuality. Despite this, he was deported from Ghana to The Gambia on September 10 and is now reportedly in hiding “for fear of his life.” Four others — D.A., T.L., I.O. and D.S. — remain detained in Ghana and have been told they will soon be removed to their home countries.
President John Dramani Mahama confirmed this week that Ghana had accepted 14 deportees under a bilateral deal with Washington, but stressed that the West African nation was serving only as a temporary transit point.
The plaintiffs argue that their forced removal violates the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Convention Against Torture, and due process protections under the Fifth Amendment. They are seeking an emergency order from Judge Tanya Chutkan to halt further removals, secure their immediate return to the United States, and block Ghana’s role in future deportation transfers.
The lawsuit names Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as defendants.
See the lawsuit below;
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