Ghana Moves 19 US Deportees to Unknown Locations
The Government of Ghana moved 19 West African nationals deported from the United States to undisclosed locations under armed guard, sparking legal challenges and human rights concerns.
Nineteen West African nationals deported from the United States to Ghana have been moved to undisclosed locations under heavy armed guard. The group arrived in Ghana on November 5 and were initially housed in a hotel in Accra. According to attorney Ana Dionne-Lanier, some individuals were bused to an unknown border location between November 9 and 11, while others were relocated around November 13. Lawyers and families are currently unable to contact the migrants, who are protected from repatriation to their home countries due to risks of torture and persecution.
These movements are part of a secretive third-country deportation program initiated by the Federal government of the United States, which has struck agreements with at least five African nations, including Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan. Since July, the program has sent dozens of migrants to these nations.
In response to the program, the Ghanaian rights group Democracy Hub filed a lawsuit alleging that the deportation agreement is unconstitutional because it bypassed parliamentary approval. Meanwhile, the United States Department of Justice has argued in federal court that it cannot control how other countries treat deportees, despite a pledge from the Ghanaian government not to return the individuals to their home countries.
