In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington on September 12, 2025, five West African migrants allege they were subjected to inhumane treatment during their deportation from the United States to Ghana. The complaint, brought by lawyers for Asian Americans Advancing Justice, paints a harrowing portrait of a 16-hour journey aboard a U.S. military cargo plane, during which the migrants say they were strapped into straitjackets, shackled, and provided nothing but bread and water. Even more troubling, the suit asserts, is that none of the 14 deportees on the flight were originally from Ghana, and the five plaintiffs—three from Nigeria and two from The Gambia—never designated Ghana as a removal destination.
According to the Associated Press, the ordeal began in the early hours of September 5, 2025, when the migrants were roused from their cells at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Alexandria, Louisiana. They were not told where they were being taken until hours into the flight. Upon arrival in Ghana, the group was detained at Dema Camp, an open-air facility described by the lawsuit as having "tents for shelter, little running water, and heavy military presence." The conditions, the complaint alleges, are "abysmal and deplorable," with the migrants surrounded by armed guards and provided minimal necessities.
The lawsuit comes at a time when the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies are under renewed scrutiny. President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended his crackdown on migrants, labeling them as criminals or "aliens," particularly those from countries whose nationals have overstayed visas in the U.S. However, as Reuters and BBC report, human rights organizations and immigration lawyers argue that the administration is using its leverage over foreign governments—especially those affected by U.S. trade, migration, and aid policies—to secure agreements for the transfer of migrants to third countries, even when those countries are not the migrants’ place of origin.
The legal action filed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice is not just about the conditions of the flight or the detention at Dema Camp. It also challenges the broader U.S. practice of deporting migrants to countries other than their own, a practice that has included sending individuals to El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan. The lawsuit states, "Defendants have enlisted the government of Ghana to do their dirty work. Despite the minimal, pass-through involvement of the Ghanaian government, Defendants’ objective is clear: deport individuals who have been granted fear-based relief from being sent to their countries of origin to those countries anyway, in contravention to the rulings of U.S. immigration judges and U.S. immigration law."
Ghana’s president confirmed on September 11, 2025, the arrival of the 14 deportees, placing Ghana among a growing list of African nations receiving migrants from the U.S. under this controversial policy. According to AP, lawyers and activists have voiced concerns that the Trump administration is targeting countries most affected by U.S. policies, pressuring them to accept migrants who may have no ties to the receiving country. In the case of the five plaintiffs, the complaint makes clear that none had any prior connection to Ghana, nor did they consent to being removed there.
The situation at Dema Camp has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates. The lawsuit describes the camp as an open-air detention site with inadequate shelter and insufficient access to basic hygiene. The migrants have been held there for five days, surrounded by armed military guards. The plaintiffs allege that they have had little access to running water and that the overall environment is unsafe and unsanitary. One of the five plaintiffs has already been deported onward to The Gambia and, according to the complaint, is now in hiding due to credible fears for his safety.
The legal complaint warns that four of the remaining plaintiffs face the imminent risk of being sent to their countries of origin—countries that U.S. immigration judges have already determined to be too dangerous for return. This, the lawsuit contends, is a direct violation of both U.S. immigration law and the explicit rulings of immigration judges who have granted these individuals relief from removal based on their credible fear of persecution or harm.
Lawyers for the migrants are seeking an immediate court order to halt further deportations to countries deemed unsafe by U.S. immigration authorities. They argue that the government’s actions not only contravene the law but also put the lives of vulnerable individuals at risk. The complaint states, "Defendants’ objective is clear: deport individuals who have been granted fear-based relief from being sent to their countries of origin to those countries anyway." The lawsuit further alleges that the U.S. government’s use of third-country removals is an attempt to circumvent legal protections for asylum seekers and others who have established a credible fear of return.
The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have not responded to requests for comment on the allegations. The lack of transparency and communication during the deportation process has only fueled criticism from advocacy groups and legal experts. Many see the use of military cargo planes, straitjackets, and shackles as indicative of a punitive approach to immigration enforcement that disregards the dignity and rights of migrants.
Ghana’s participation in the third-country removal program has also raised questions within the country and among international observers. While the Ghanaian government’s involvement is described as "minimal, pass-through" in the lawsuit, the presence of armed guards and the conditions at Dema Camp suggest a level of complicity that worries human rights groups. Ghana joins Eswatini, Rwanda, and South Sudan as African nations that have agreed to accept migrants deported from the U.S., sometimes under considerable diplomatic pressure.
For the five plaintiffs, all identified only by their initials in the complaint, the stakes could not be higher. Four remain in detention at Dema Camp, facing the possibility of being sent to countries where they fear for their lives. One has already been forced into hiding. Their lawyers contend that the U.S. government’s actions set a dangerous precedent, undermining the protections afforded by immigration law and exposing vulnerable individuals to grave harm.
As the case moves forward in federal court, it is likely to draw further attention to the Trump administration’s immigration policies and the broader question of how the United States treats those seeking refuge within its borders. The outcome could have far-reaching implications, not only for the plaintiffs but for the future of third-country deportations and the rights of migrants worldwide.
For now, the five migrants await their fate in Dema Camp, their future uncertain, their voices carried forward by the lawsuit that seeks to halt a practice many see as both unlawful and inhumane.
