ACCRA, Ghana (AP) – An international coalition of human rights lawyers and advocates has filed a lawsuit against the Ghanaian government, alleging that the country is unlawfully deporting individuals from the United States back to their home countries, which they had fled, in violation of their rights. This legal action was initiated on Tuesday at the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States.
This lawsuit represents the first case brought under a 1979 regional treaty that ensures free movement across West Africa. The coalition involved in this case includes the Global Strategic Litigation Council, a network of human rights lawyers and advocates focused on social justice.
The lawsuit concerns at least 27 individuals among approximately 60 deportees sent to Ghana by the U.S. government since September 2025 as part of an agreement where Ghana accepted deportees who are not its own citizens. According to the coalition, many of these deportees had previously received protection orders from U.S. judges, which should have prevented their return to dangerous conditions in their home countries.
Many of the 27 individuals reportedly experienced quick deportation back to their home nations soon after arriving in Ghana, despite informing Ghanaian officials about their existing U.S. legal protections. Several deportees described being shackled during their flights from the U.S. and upon arrival in Ghana, they were allegedly detained under armed guard in military camps, hotels, and airport holding cells, often facing dire conditions.
The coalition accuses the Ghanaian government of violating the principle of non-refoulement, an essential international legal principle that prohibits countries from returning individuals to places where they could face persecution or torture. A representative from the Ghanaian government has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the allegations.
Ghana is one of at least nine African nations that have entered into agreements with the U.S. for the third-country deportation of individuals. These often-secret arrangements allow the U.S. to deport thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries where they are not citizens, all part of a broader initiative under the Trump administration aimed at tightening immigration policies.
Critics argue that these third-country deportations utilize legal loopholes that indirectly force asylum seekers back to their home countries, potentially exposing them to threats and violence. The medical evaluations cited in the lawsuit reveal signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression among several of the 27 individuals involved.
The legal action seeks to halt further deportations, to compel the Ghanaian government to disclose the agreement's terms, to claim damages for the affected deportees, and to prevent Ghana from entering into similar agreements in the future.
This development arises shortly after a similar case was filed against Equatorial Guinea, another African nation that has developed deportation agreements with the U.S. Rights lawyers there also accuse the government of forcing deportees from the U.S. back to their countries in violation of their rights.
Overall, this lawsuit highlights significant human rights concerns regarding the treatment of deportees and the responsibilities of countries entering into immigration agreements with the United States.
