Eleven West Africans who were transferred from the United States to Ghana under an agreement with the Trump administration have been deported a second time, sparking fears that some could face torture or persecution in their home countries.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor, lawyer for the group, told Reuters on Tuesday that at least six of the deportees are now in neighbouring Togo, while the whereabouts of the remaining five remain unknown. The group includes four Nigerians, three Togolese, two Malians, one Liberian, and one Gambian.
Ghana’s government has not responded to requests for comment. Earlier this month, President John Dramani Mahama said his administration had agreed to temporarily take in nationals from other West African countries being deported from the US under former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Last week, Barker-Vormawor filed a lawsuit in Accra on behalf of 11 of the first group of 14 deportees, seeking a court order to prevent them from being sent back to their home countries. He argued that at least eight of the individuals had been granted protection by US immigration judges due to risks of torture, persecution, or inhumane treatment.
At Tuesday’s court hearing, Barker-Vormawor said the group had already been deported over the weekend, rendering the lawsuit “moot” and prompting its withdrawal. He also mentioned reports of another 14 deportees arriving in Ghana, though he had not independently verified the information.
The Ghanaian government has maintained that its decision to accept West African deportees does not constitute an endorsement of Trump’s immigration policy, and that Ghana received no compensation for taking them in.
