Eleven West African nationals deported from the United States are challenging their detention in Ghana, filing urgent court applications that could reshape the country’s role in controversial U.S. deportation policies.
The High Court in Accra will hear their applications on September 23, 2025. The deportees seek an interim injunction to prevent further deportation and a writ of habeas corpus compelling the state to justify their detention.
The group includes nationals from Nigeria, Liberia, Togo, Gambia, and Mali who were allegedly removed from U.S. detention centers earlier this month and flown to Ghana in restraints. They claim Ghanaian authorities are holding them at a military facility without due process.
Their lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor argues the detention violates Articles 14 and 23 of Ghana’s Constitution, which guarantee personal liberty and administrative justice. He also claims Ghana is violating the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to countries where they face persecution.
At least eight of the deportees had secured protection under U.S. proceedings against torture, which should have prevented their deportation, according to their legal team.
The deportees were allegedly removed from U.S. detention centers between September 5-6, 2025, and reportedly held in restraints during a 16-hour flight to Ghana. Federal lawsuits filed in the United States describe treatment that immigration lawyers characterize as potentially violating international standards.
The case raises questions about Ghana’s reported agreement with the Trump administration to serve as a transit hub for third-country deportations. Legal experts have questioned whether such arrangements require parliamentary approval under Ghana’s Constitution.
At a virtual court session on September 18, Justice Priscilla Dikro said she needed additional time to study the applications. The deportees have sued the Attorney-General, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Comptroller-General of Immigration.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
