**Ghana Sued Over US Deportation Deal**
A coalition of international lawyers has initiated legal action against Ghana at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice, challenging the country's involvement in accepting migrants deported from the United States under a controversial third-country removal agreement. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 27 individuals who were sent to Ghana as part of this arrangement.
The coalition comprises several organizations, including the Global Strategic Litigation Council, the Ghanaian law firm Merton & Everett LLP, and Cornell Law School’s Transnational Disputes Clinic. They allege that Ghana is violating both domestic and regional laws by facilitating the removal of individuals to countries deemed unsafe.
Since the re-election of US President Donald Trump in January 2025, his administration has actively pursued agreements to deport asylum seekers and migrants to nations where they have no prior connections. This policy has faced significant backlash, including criticism from the African Union’s human rights body, which has raised concerns about the secrecy surrounding these agreements and the potential for abuse of the deported individuals.
According to the coalition, Ghana has accepted at least 60 deportees from the US since September 2025. They argue that the practice of returning individuals to places where they may face persecution or serious threats to their safety is fundamentally unjust. Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a senior partner at Merton & Everett LLP, emphasized the legal and moral imperative to protect individuals from being sent back to dangerous situations.
The coalition is seeking several remedies from the court, including an order to stop any further transfers under the US-Ghana agreement, disclosure of the agreement's terms, compensation for the deportees, and a prohibition on Ghana entering similar agreements in the future without adequate safeguards.
As of now, the Ghanaian government has not publicly addressed the lawsuit. However, in a previous statement, Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa asserted that the government's decision to accept migrants deported from the US was motivated by humanitarian concerns rather than an endorsement of the US immigration policy.
Ghana is not the only African nation involved in such agreements. Other countries, including Eswatini, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Equatorial Guinea, have also entered into similar arrangements with the Trump administration, despite opposition from various human rights organizations.
In a related development, the Global Strategic Litigation Council announced a separate lawsuit against Equatorial Guinea at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. This case involves 14 deportees transferred from the US to Equatorial Guinea, where the government reportedly received $7.5 million from Washington to accommodate these individuals. The lawsuit alleges that some deportees have already been forcibly sent to countries where they face significant risks, including persecution, torture, and even death.
The legal actions taken against Ghana and Equatorial Guinea highlight the growing concerns regarding the treatment of deported migrants and the implications of international agreements on human rights. As the situation unfolds, the outcomes of these lawsuits may have far-reaching effects on migration policies and the responsibilities of nations involved in such agreements.