Six West Africans deported from U.S. to Togo amid legal fight
Lawyers say six of 11 deportees were transferred to Togo; ongoing rights challenges remain as officials dispute handling and arrangements with Ghana.
Six of the 11 West Africans deported from the United States to Ghana as part of a broader immigration enforcement effort have been transferred to Togo, their lawyers said on Tuesday. The six were sent to Togo, while the others were dispatched to countries that could not be disclosed at this time, lead lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor told the BBC. The move comes as the group had been pursuing legal action to block further deportations amid safety concerns after their arrival in Ghana.
The group had been suing the Ghanaian government to prevent additional deportations, arguing their detention and transfer violated their rights. Barker-Vormawor said he wanted the government to present the group in court and justify why they were being held; he told the BBC last week that such an intervention should have occurred. On Tuesday, he expressed disappointment with Ghana’s justice system, saying the court could have intervened to prevent the deportations and protect the detainees’ rights. The lawyers have since withdrawn their case against Ghana, saying events have overtaken the legal process, though they continue pursuing a separate case alleging rights violations.
The deportees include nationals of Nigeria, Togo, Liberia and The Gambia. They were previously held in a U.S. detention facility before being deported on a U.S. military plane in shackles to Ghana under an agreement with the Ghanaian government. The deal for Ghana to take in nationals from various West African countries was announced by President John Mahama about two weeks ago, with officials saying the move was linked to the free movement of people in West Africa.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the country was not receiving financial compensation in return for taking in the deportees. He also said that an additional 40 deportees were expected to arrive in Ghana in the coming days. Opposition MPs have called for the immediate suspension of the U.S.–Ghana agreement until it is ratified by law, urging full transparency and accountability regarding the arrangement.
The transfer of the group to Togo occurs within the broader context of ongoing U.S. efforts to tighten immigration enforcement worldwide. While the bilateral arrangement with Ghana has drawn criticism over due process and safety concerns, Ghanaian officials have defended the agreement as part of regional cooperation and the broader goal of facilitating movement within West Africa.