A fresh lawsuit has accused the Trump administration of orchestrating unlawful deportations by secretly transferring five West African migrants to Ghana, despite U.S. court rulings that protected them from removal to their home countries. Four of the men say they were forced to endure the 16-hour flight in straitjackets.
The case was filed on Friday by the civil rights group, Asian Americans Advancing Justice. The group argues that the administration used Ghana as a “transit destination” to sidestep legal protections. Immigration judges had already granted the plaintiffs fear-based relief, ruling they would face persecution or torture if sent back to Nigeria or Gambia.
According to the complaint, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers placed the migrants on a military cargo plane from Louisiana without disclosing the destination. On arrival at Accra, an ICE officer allegedly told them they would eventually be sent on to their home countries despite the protections.
The plaintiffs described the conditions on the flight as harsh as hell: four men restrained in straitjackets for the entire journey, all shackled even when using the restroom, and served only bread and water. One plaintiff has reportedly since been transferred to Gambia and gone into hiding, while the others remain at a Ghanaian military-run detention facility criticized as “squalid” and lacking basic shelter.
The lawsuit seeks to block further removals under the arrangement with Ghana. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, has already expressed concern that the deal could be an “end run” around legal protections, demanding the administration to explain how it will prevent onward deportations to unsafe countries.
Government officials deny that straitjackets were used and argue that recent Supreme Court rulings allow the use of third countries in deportations. They maintain that assurances were secured from Ghana regarding the migrants’ treatment.
The legal battle underscores mounting scrutiny of the administration’s aggressive immigration tactics, raising questions about human rights obligations, international agreements, and whether deportations via third countries comply with U.S. law.
