Africa-Press – Gambia. Two Gambians and three Nigerians deported from the United States and left in Ghana have filed a lawsuit in Washington, DC, contesting the legality of their removal and the conditions of their transfer.
The case, filed on Friday at the US District Court for the District of Columbia, was brought on their behalf by Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC). The defendants named in the suit include the US Secretary of Homeland Security, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State.
The plaintiffs, identified in court filings as DA, TL, IO, DS, and KS, alleged that they were abruptly taken from a detention centre in Alexandria, Louisiana, in the early hours of September 5 without being told their destination. They were later flown on a US military cargo plane, where they claim they were shackled and provided only bread and water during the 16-hour journey.
According to their lawyers, the deportation violated standing immigration court protections that barred their return to their home countries on fear-based grounds. The filing stated, “Defendants know that they may not, consistent with US immigration law, directly deport non-citizens to countries from which they have been granted fear-based protection. As an end-run around this prohibition, defendants have enlisted the government of Ghana to do their dirty work.”
The plaintiffs are seeking an order from US District Judge Tanya Chutkan for their return to the United States. Their attorneys further argued that the individuals had been granted safeguards under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Convention Against Torture.
The case comes amid confirmation by Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, that his country had reached an agreement with the US government to receive 14 deportees and assist in returning some to their countries of origin.
The deportations form part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement measures. President Trump has repeatedly described migrants facing removal as “criminals” and “aliens,” and his government has pursued agreements with third countries to expedite deportations.
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