West African migrants stuck in Ghana after US deportation

The deportees have asked a Ghanaian High Court to order their immediate release from detention and prevent the Ghanaian authorities from deporting them to their home countries. Eleven Africans deported by the US to Ghana on Sept. 6 have sued the Ghanaian government over their deportation and continued ‘‘detention.’’ Initially, Ghana’s President John Mahama announced that Ghana had received 14 deportees, including Nigerians and a Gambian, and that they had been sent to their countries of origin. Now, fresh details are emerging. Eleven of the deportees have filed a lawsuit at a Ghanaian high court against Ghana’s government for its involvement in their deportation. They are also challenging their continued ‘‘detention in Ghana’’ , demanding the court to enforce their fundamental human rights. Court documents shared with journalists by the deportees’ lawyers show that they included nationals from Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Gambia, and Liberia. Their lawyers say the migrants “were removed in secret from their detention centres in the United States, shackled and transported without notice or explanation, and placed on a military cargo operated by the United States government.” Five of the deportees, three Nigerians and two Gambians, have also reportedly sued the US government, challenging their deportation. The US and Ghana have not yet publicly commented on the lawsuits.