Lawsuit Filed by US Deportees Against Ghana for Illegal Detention

Mon Oct 20 2025 06:01:22 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Eleven deportees from the US who were detained in Ghana have initiated legal action against the Ghanaian government, alleging their detention was unlawful. The controversy surrounds the government’s deportation agreement with the US.

A group of eleven individuals deported from the US to Ghana is suing the Ghanaian government over their detention, claiming it violates their rights and is illegal. Their lawyer argues that they had not broken any Ghanaian laws. The government plans to accept more deportees, while opposition MPs demand that the deportation agreement be suspended until it is ratified by parliament. The situation intensifies amid intricate political implications and conflicting statements from government officials.

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

The government has not yet commented on the lawsuit, but has previously stated plans to accept another 40 deportees. Opposition MPs are demanding the immediate suspension of the deportation deal until parliament ratifies it, citing legal requirements under Ghanaian law.

Last week, President John Mahama announced that 14 deportees of West African origin had arrived in the country following an agreement reached with the US. However, he later said that all had been returned to their countries of origin, which was contradicted by Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who stated that only most had been returned.

Mr. Vormawor's court application claims that 11 deportees remain in detention in Ghana. These individuals were held at a US detention facility prior to their deportation via a military cargo aircraft.

The deportations align with the US government's hard-line stance on immigration, especially since President Donald Trump took office, who has pledged to conduct record-level deportations of undocumented migrants.

Ghana's foreign minister remarked that accepting the deportees was based on humanitarian principle and pan-African empathy, clarifying that it should not be viewed 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, asserting they were protected by a court order from deportation.