**Advocacy Groups File Complaint Against Ghana Over U.S. Deportations**
*Abuja, Nigeria – June 30, 2026* – A coalition of advocacy groups has lodged a formal complaint against the government of Ghana at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice, alleging that the country has facilitated the deportation of individuals from the United States to nations where they may face significant harm. The complaint was filed on Monday and represents 27 of at least 60 deportees sent to Ghana since September under the U.S. “third-country” removal policy.
This policy is employed when U.S. judges determine that individuals cannot be returned directly to their home countries due to a high likelihood of torture or persecution. Instead, these individuals are sent to third countries, which in this case includes Ghana. The advocacy groups argue that many of these deportees had previously been granted protections in the U.S. but were removed shortly after their arrival in Ghana, often being sent directly to the countries they had fled.
The complaint highlights that many deportees have reported being stranded in third countries without resources to continue their journeys. “No person should be returned to a place where they face persecution, torture, or serious threats to their dignity and safety,” stated Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a senior partner at Ghanaian law firm Merton & Everett LLP, which is representing the deportees alongside Cornell Law School’s Transnational Disputes Clinic and the Global Strategic Litigation Council.
The advocacy groups assert that Ghana is in violation of both domestic and regional laws by facilitating these removals to unsafe countries. They are seeking to compel the Ghanaian government to disclose the terms of its agreement with the U.S. regarding deportations and to prevent any future deportations under this arrangement. The groups also expressed concern over the implications of such agreements for other ECOWAS member states.
The complaint comes on the heels of a similar lawsuit filed earlier in June at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which sought to halt U.S. deportations to Equatorial Guinea, another country that has acted as a transit point for deported individuals. That lawsuit was filed on behalf of 14 deportees, some of whom remain in Equatorial Guinea under conditions described as “arbitrary and indefinite detention.”
In the case against Ghana, the advocacy groups noted that none of the 27 deportees remain in the country. Many have reportedly gone into hiding in their home countries or have fled to other nations, where they continue to wait in uncertain circumstances.
Beatrice Njeri, a litigator for the Global Strategic Litigation Council, emphasized that the lawsuit aims to deter other ECOWAS member states from entering into similar agreements with the Trump administration. The groups are also seeking at least $100,000 in compensation for each deportee from Ghana, along with additional reparations.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice serves as the highest judicial authority within the regional bloc, which comprises 12 countries. As the case unfolds, it could have significant implications for the treatment of deportees and the responsibilities of nations involved in such agreements.
The Ghanaian government has confirmed its agreement with the U.S. pertains to West African deportees but has not disclosed specific details regarding the terms of the arrangement. Shortly after the agreement was enacted, the U.S. lifted visa restrictions that had previously been imposed on Ghana, raising questions about the nature of the diplomatic negotiations between the two countries.
As the situation develops, the advocacy groups remain committed to their cause, aiming to protect the rights and safety of individuals affected by these deportations.