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3w ago

Judge Rebukes U.S. Over Ghana Transfers, Demands Plan to Prevent Onward Removals

The emergency order follows claims of abusive transport with a deportee already forwarded to Gambia despite U.S. protections.

Planes used for deportation flights sit at the Valley International Airport, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in Harlingen, Texas. Image for illustration purposes only.
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The Ghana flag is seen in in Accra, Ghana, on March 6, 2025.
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said the government appears to be making an “end run” around court orders and required a filing by 9 p.m. ET Saturday detailing how onward removals from Ghana are being prevented.
  • A lawsuit alleges some deportees were restrained in straitjackets for 16 hours, shackled, and given only bread and water on a U.S. military flight, then held in squalid conditions at Ghana’s Dema Camp under armed guard.
  • Attorneys say one plaintiff has already been sent to Gambia and is in hiding, and others fear being moved to their home countries as soon as Monday after visits from consular representatives.
  • The Justice Department argued the U.S. lacks custody and cannot direct Ghana’s actions, citing a June Supreme Court ruling permitting third‑country removals, even as Ghana’s reported assurances against onward transfers appear to be failing.
  • Ghana’s president confirmed 14 non-Ghanaian deportees arrived under a U.S. agreement, while the plaintiffs—represented by the ACLU and Asian Americans Advancing Justice—seek immediate relief to block returns to their home countries.