Key points
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Ghana deports 11 West African migrants despite pending court case.
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Deportees’ lawyers say removals undermine human rights protections.
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Deportations tied to U.S. immigration crackdown and Ghana agreement.
Ghana’s government has deported 11 West African nationals despite their pending lawsuit seeking to block their removal.
The migrants—four Nigerians, three Togolese, two Malians, one Gambian, and one Liberian—argued they were being detained against their will and filed an injunction to halt repatriation.
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the High Court Land Division, presided over by Justice Priscilla Ofori, directed the applicants’ lawyers to notify the Attorney General, Chief of Defence Staff, and Comptroller-General of Immigration, noting that the matter had drawn national and international attention.
However, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, lead counsel for the applicants, told the court the deportation had already taken place over the weekend, making their applications moot.
Lawyers accuse government of preemptive action
Barker-Vormawor criticized the government’s move, saying the deportations undermined the purpose of the legal challenge.
He argued that the court had the opportunity to stop the removals earlier but declined, which he said resulted in the very injustice they sought to prevent.
“This is the exact injury we were trying to prevent,” Barker-Vormawor told the court, warning that other migrants may face similar outcomes if the judiciary is not more decisive in protecting rights.
With the deportees already removed, the court struck out the case as withdrawn.
Deportation linked to U.S. immigration policy
The deportations followed an agreement between the Ghanaian and U.S. governments to accept West African migrants deported from the United States. At least 14 such deportees had already arrived in Ghana prior to this latest removal.
The U.S. government has pursued stricter immigration policies since the administration of President Donald Trump. The Ghanaian deportees’ case highlights the regional impact of those measures, particularly on migrants from West Africa.
