Eleven West African nationals deported by the United States to Ghana have been sent back to their home countries, raising serious concerns over potential torture, persecution, and inhumane treatment. The group comprising four Nigerians, three Togolese, two Malians, one Liberian, and one Gambian arrived in Accra alongside three Ghanaian deportees. Their lawyer, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, had filed a lawsuit to block their onward deportation, citing rulings by US immigration judges granting at least eight of them protection from return.
But during a virtual court hearing on Tuesday, Barker-Vormawor revealed the case had become moot.
“We have to inform the court that the persons whose human rights we are seeking to enforce were all deported over the weekend,” he said. “This is precisely the injury we were trying to prevent.” According to the lawyer, six of the deportees are now in Togo, while the whereabouts of the other five remain unknown.
The removals come amid Ghana’s agreement to accept West African nationals deported under former US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. President John Dramani Mahama has defended the move as a humanitarian gesture but stressed that Ghana is receiving no benefits in return and is not endorsing Washington’s policy. Rights advocates argue the decision undermines international protections for asylum seekers and exposes vulnerable people to danger in politically unstable or rights-abusing states.
