US Deportees Challenge Ghana's Detention Practices in Court

Tue Oct 21 2025 14:32:12 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Eleven deportees from the US have filed a lawsuit against the Ghanaian government, claiming illegal detention after being sent back to Ghana. This comes as Ghana's opposition calls for a review of deportation agreements amid humanitarian concerns.

A lawsuit has been initiated by eleven individuals detained in Ghana following their deportation from the United States. Their lawyer argues that their detention was illegal as they did not violate any Ghanaian laws. As the government plans to accept additional deportees, opposition members demand a halt to this process until parliamentary approval is gained.

Eleven people detained in Ghana after being deported from the US have sued the West African nation's government, their lawyer has told the BBC.

Oliver-Barker Vormawor said the deportees had not violated any Ghanaian law, and their detention in a military camp was therefore illegal.

He wants the government to produce the group in court and justify why they are being held against their will, the lawyer added.

The government has yet to comment on the lawsuit, but has previously stated that it plans to accept another 40 deportees. Opposition MPs are demanding the immediate suspension of the deportation deal until parliament ratifies it, saying this was required under Ghanaian law.

Last week, Ghana's President John Mahama noted that 14 deportees of West African origin had arrived in the country following an agreement with the US.

However, he later stated that all of them had been returned to their countries of origin, though Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa contradicted him by asserting that only most of them had been returned.

Mr. Vormawor's court application counters both of their claims, stating that 11 deportees are still detained in Ghana.

The individuals were held in a US detention facility before being shackled and deported in a military cargo aircraft, according to court documents.

The deportations are part of the US government's strict policy on immigration since President Donald Trump took office in January, pledging to conduct record-level deportations of undocumented migrants.

Ghana's foreign minister was quoted as saying the decision to accept the deportees was based on humanitarian principle and pan-African empathy.

He emphasized that this should not be misconstrued as an endorsement of the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Additionally, five of the detainees, comprising three Nigerians and two Gambians, have filed a lawsuit against the US government, arguing that they were protected under a court order and should not have been deported.