Eleven people deported from the United States have filed a lawsuit against the Ghanaian government over their detention in a military facility, their lawyer has confirmed.
Attorney Oliver-Barker Vormawor told the BBC that the deportees had not violated any Ghanaian law and described their detention as unlawful. He is demanding that the government produce the group in court and explain why they are being held against their will.
The government has not responded to the lawsuit but previously announced plans to accept another 40 deportees under a repatriation deal with Washington. Opposition lawmakers, however, insist that the agreement requires parliamentary approval and are calling for an immediate suspension of the arrangement.
President John Mahama recently said 14 deportees of West African origin had arrived in Ghana under the deal and were later returned to their home countries. But Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa contradicted this, saying only “most” had been repatriated. Mr. Vormawor’s court filing disputes both claims, asserting that 11 remain detained in Ghana.
Court documents reveal that the deportees were first held in a US facility before being shackled and flown to Ghana aboard a military cargo plane. The deportations are part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, with the US president vowing record removals.
Ghana’s foreign minister defended the decision to accept the deportees, calling it an act of “humanitarian principle and pan-African empathy,” while stressing it did not amount to support for Washington’s immigration policies.
Meanwhile, five other deportees—three Nigerians and two Gambians—have filed a separate suit against the US government, claiming they were covered by a court order that should have prevented their removal.
