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Judge queries deportation of Nigerians, other Africans to Ghana in suit against Trump

Judge Chutkan said the Trump-led administration action appeared to be “truly disingenuous.”

• September 14, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump [Credit; CNN]

Some Nigerians and Gambians recently deported to Ghana have filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C. against President Donald Trump for deporting them to the West African country for return to their respective countries.

In the lawsuit filed by the five deportees identified by their initials, D.A., T.L., I.O., D.S., and K.S., on Friday accused the Trump-led administration of using the Ghanaian government “to do their dirty work,” by getting them back to their respective countries in violation of “U.S. immigration judges and U.S. immigration law.”

“Despite the minimal, pass-through involvement of the Ghanaian government, (the Trump administration’s) objective is clear: deport individuals who have been granted fear-based relief from being sent to their countries of origin to those countries anyway, in contravention to the rulings of U.S. immigration judges and U.S. immigration law,” the suit filed before the Washington Court read.

Presiding over the legal suit, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, said the Trump-led administration action appeared to be “truly disingenuous.”

“You send these individuals knowing you can’t repatriate them. You send them to Ghana, and you say, ‘Oh, but Ghana says they’re not going to send them home.’ And Ghana immediately prepares to send them home with what appears to be your full awareness. How is this not a violation of your obligation?,” said Mrs Chutkan.

A Justice Department lawyer, Elianis N. Pérez, during the hearing argued that the U.S. cannot tell Ghana what to do with the deported illegal immigrants.

“The United States is not saying that this is ok,” Mr Pérez said. “What the United States is saying is that the United States does not have the power to tell Ghana what to do.”

Last Thursday, Ghanaian authorities confirmed they received some Nigerians and other West Africans deported from the U.S. after agreement with the Trump’s government.

In a news conference on Wednesday, President John Mahama said it was making arrangements to return the 14 Africans deportees from the U.S. to their countries.

Ghana joined Rwanda, Uganda, Eswatini and others that agreed to accept U.S. deportees since the U.S. government made the offer to leaders of African countries.

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