Eleven West Africans who were transferred to Ghana from the United States under an agreement with the Trump administration have been deported again, their lawyer said on Tuesday, sparking renewed concerns over their safety.
Human rights lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor told Reuters after a court hearing that at least six of the deportees are now in neighbouring Togo, while the whereabouts of the remaining five are unknown.
“This is precisely the injury we were trying to prevent,” Barker-Vormawor said, confirming that he has withdrawn a lawsuit he filed last week to block their removal from Ghana.
The group included four Nigerians, three Togolese, two Malians, one Liberian and one Gambian. Barker-Vormawor said at least eight of them had been granted protection by U.S. immigration judges against deportation to their home countries due to risks of torture, persecution, or inhumane treatment.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama had earlier acknowledged that his government agreed to receive West Africans deported from the U.S. as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Mahama, however, insisted the decision did not amount to an endorsement of Trump’s policy and said Ghana was not receiving any benefits in exchange.
Barker-Vormawor also told Reuters that “information suggests another 14 have arrived,” though he has not yet confirmed their identities or status. Ghana’s government has not commented on the latest deportations.
The case highlights growing controversy over the U.S. policy of sending migrants to third countries under bilateral agreements, even when deportation to their homelands could place them at risk.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
