Nineteen West African migrants expelled from the United States to Ghana have been transferred to undisclosed locations under armed escort, their lawyer confirmed Thursday, heightening concerns over the fate of deportees sent back under the Trump administration’s controversial third-country removal policy.
The group, which landed in Ghana on November 5 and was briefly accommodated in a hotel, has not been reachable since being moved in two separate operations.
Attorney Ana Dionne-Lanier said some were transported by bus to an unidentified border area over the weekend, while her client and several others were taken away “under heavy armed guard” on Wednesday.
“We have no idea where they are,” she said, explaining that families have completely lost contact with the deportees, who cannot be sent back to their home countries due to credible threats of torture or persecution.
Their disappearance comes amid a largely opaque U.S. initiative that has transferred dozens of deported migrants to at least five African countries since July, including Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan.
Human rights groups have condemned the program, arguing that migrants may not be properly screened before removal and warning of possible breaches of international protections for asylum seekers.
The policy is part of Washington’s strategy to deport migrants who cannot legally be returned to their home nations due to court restrictions.
In Ghana, rights group Democracy Hub has filed a case claiming the agreement with the U.S. is unconstitutional because it bypassed parliament and may violate international conventions that forbid sending people back to places where they could face harm.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice has told a federal court that it cannot be held responsible for how another country treats deportees, even though Ghana pledged not to return them to their home nations.
As legal battles intensify, the whereabouts of the nineteen missing West Africans remain unknown, deepening diplomatic strain and raising serious humanitarian questions.
