US Judge Slams Trump Administration Over Deportation Of Nigerians, Gambians To Ghana
A United States federal judge has accused the Trump administration of skirting immigration laws after Nigerian and Gambian migrants were deported to Ghana under a controversial arrangement.
Judge Tanya Chutkan of the Washington DC district court raised concerns on Saturday, warning that the move appeared to be an “end run” around legal protections designed to prevent deportations that could expose migrants to torture or persecution.
Her remarks came after lawyers for five migrants argued that their clients, who were shackled and flown from a Louisiana detention centre on a US military plane, faced grave danger if returned to their home countries.
The suit was filed with support from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
“I have not been shy about saying that I think this is a very suspicious scheme,” The New York Times quoted Chutkan as saying.
She ordered the US government to provide a sworn statement detailing measures in place to ensure deported migrants were not further transferred from Ghana to Nigeria or Gambia.
The Department of Justice countered that it no longer had custody of the migrants and cited a Supreme Court ruling that allows deportations to third countries.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s president, John Mahama, confirmed that his country had reached an agreement with the US to accept West African deportees, revealing that 14 had already arrived
