Trump Secretly Deports Migrants to African Third-Country Destinations

The Donald Trump administration established a secretive third-country deportation program to remove non-citizens to African nations, including Ghana, Eswatini, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Legal challenges by groups such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the ACLU allege the program allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to bypass laws prohibiting the return of individuals to countries where they face torture or persecution.

In Ghana, 14 West African nationals were flown from Louisiana to a military base near Accra on September 6, 2025. Despite claims from Ghanaian spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu that all had been repatriated, 11 detainees sued the government, alleging illegal detention in "terrible conditions" at the Bundase military camp. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa defended the deal as a humanitarian gesture and announced that 40 more deportees were expected. However, Ghana repatriated the 11 migrants to their home countries over a weekend in late September, a move their lawyers called a ruse to circumvent a lawsuit.

Parallel efforts saw five men from Jamaica, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen deported to Eswatini in July. Detainees were held without charge at the Matsapha Correctional Complex, sparking demands from Amnesty International for legal access. While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security characterized the deportees as dangerous criminals, lawyers argue they had already served their sentences. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan expressed dismay at the removals, suggesting a pattern of the U.S. government evading legal obligations.