What's Really Happening to Deported Africans?

Ghana claims it has sent back 14 African immigrants deported by the U.S. to their home countries. However, lawyers for some of these immigrants dispute this, stating their clients are still being held in Ghana. This has sparked a significant disagreement between the Ghanaian government and the lawyers.

Key Points of the Dispute

Ghana's Communication Minister stated:
One person from Gambia has already flown home.
The other 13, all from Nigeria, were sent back by bus.
Lawyers for four Nigerian immigrants claim their clients are still being held in a facility in Ghana. The minister denied knowing about any such facility.
Verification Challenges:
The Associated Press couldn't verify the current location of the deportees.
A lawyer for the Gambian person confirmed their client is in Gambia.
Both Nigerian and Gambian government officials said they were not informed about the deportations and were not involved in the process.

Legal and Humanitarian Concerns

A U.S. judge expressed concerns about the deportation process:

She couldn't stop the deportation of four men in Ghana's custody.
These men might be sent back to countries where they could face torture or persecution.
The judge criticized the Trump administration for finding ways to send people back to their home countries, even when U.S. immigration judges say they should not be sent.

The administration is trying to bypass laws that protect people from being sent to countries where they might be tortured.
This is different from a case where a man was wrongly sent to a prison in El Salvador. In this case, the administration can legally send people to Ghana.

Reactions and Statements

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which joined the lawsuit, expressed disappointment with the ruling. They urged the administration to follow laws that protect people from being sent to countries where they might be tortured.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration has been trying to send immigrants to third countries with which it has agreements to take deportees. Ghana is one of these countries.

Allegations of Abuse

The lawsuit alleged:

The immigrants were held in "straitjackets" for 16 hours on a flight to Ghana.
They were detained for days in "squalid conditions" after they arrived.
Ghana is doing the Trump administration's "dirty work."

Ghana's Response

Ghana's foreign minister clarified:

The decision was not an endorsement of Trump's immigration policies.
Ghana did not receive any money from the U.S. for taking the deportees.
Ghana is only taking West Africans.

Nigeria's Response

Nigeria's government stated:

It was not informed about its nationals being sent to Ghana.
It has received Nigerians deported directly from the U.S. before.
It has not rejected Nigerians deported to Nigeria, but it has rejected the deportation of other nationals into Nigeria.