Ghana Dragged to International Court Over Third-Country Deportation Deal With the US
- Advocacy groups filed a complaint before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice against Ghana on behalf of 27 deportees sent from the United States
- The deportees told authorities they had been granted protection in the US but were sent to countries they had fled within hours or days of arriving in Ghana
- The groups are seeking at least $100,000 in compensation for each deportee and want Ghana to disclose the full terms of its deal with the Trump administration
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A coalition of advocacy groups has filed a formal legal complaint against Ghana before the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
According to a statement released on June 30, 2026, the complaint was filed on behalf of 27 people who had been deported from the United States of America.
Source: Getty Images
According to a report by Reuters, the complaint was lodged by the Global Strategic Litigation Council and allied organisations on behalf of deportees who were sent to Ghana as part of the Trump administration's broader push to curb irregular migration.
At least 60 people were deported to Ghana in total, beginning in September 2025, under what the administration has described as a strategy to end illegal mass immigration and strengthen border security.
What advocacy groups allege about Ghana, US
Most of the 27 named deportees were said to have held some form of legal protection in the United States at the time of their removal.
Upon arrival in Ghana, many were transferred within hours or days to the countries they had originally fled, while others were left stranded in third countries without resources or documentation to continue travelling.
Beatrice Njeri, a litigator with the Global Strategic Litigation Council, said the legal action was intended to deter other ECOWAS member states from entering into similar arrangements with the Trump administration.
The coalition is seeking a minimum of $100,000 in compensation for each deportee, along with additional reparations.
The organisations representing them said the individuals feared for their safety, with most currently in hiding either at home or abroad.
Source: Getty Images
Ghana's deal with the Trump Administration
Beyond compensation, the groups are pressing for Ghana to publicly disclose the terms of its agreement with Washington and to cease accepting future deportees under the arrangement.
A report published in February by Democrats on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee noted that the full financial cost of third-country removal agreements remained unclear, though more than $32 million had been transferred directly to five participating countries, including $7.5 million to Equatorial Guinea.
Below is Reuters' X post announcing the lawsuit against Ghana over the deportation deal.
US to deport 355 West Africans
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Department of Homeland Security had announced that 355 people from West Africa were set to be deported from the US.
The agency published the details of those scheduled for deportation, sparking reactions in the affected countries, with many preparing to welcome the nationals back.
The official list shared by the DHS on X showed that Nigeria topped the list of people set to be deported from America, with 110 citizens set to be sent home again.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
