Human rights groups sue Ghana at ECOWAS court over Trump-era deportations from US

• Rights groups have sued Ghana over its US deportation agreement.

• The case was filed at the ECOWAS Court on behalf of 27 deportees.

• The groups are seeking compensation and disclosure of the deal.

According to a Reuters report published on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the application was filed on behalf of 27 deportees who were sent to Ghana as part of the US government's third-country deportation programme.

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The advocacy groups allege that the deportees had previously been granted protection in the United States but were removed and flown to Ghana before being sent on to the countries they had originally fled or left stranded in third countries.

The complaint forms part of a broader challenge to the deportation arrangement between Ghana and the United States.

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Reuters reported that at least 60 people have been deported to Ghana since September 2025 under the policy, which the Trump administration said was intended "to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America's border security."

The rights groups claim that many of the deportees were transferred from Ghana within hours or days of their arrival, while others were left stranded in third countries without the means to continue their journeys.

Beatrice Njeri, a litigator with the Global Strategic Litigation Council representing the deportees, told Reuters the legal action is intended to discourage other ECOWAS member states from entering into similar deportation arrangements with the United States.

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She said the applicants are seeking at least $100,000 in compensation for each deportee, in addition to other forms of reparations.

The lawsuit also seeks to compel Ghana to disclose the terms of its deportation agreement with the United States and prevent the country from accepting any future deportees under the same arrangement.

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Reuters reported that it was unable to independently interview the deportees or review their witness statements. The coalition representing them said many fear for their safety and are currently in hiding either in their home countries or in third countries.

The news agency also said it could not immediately obtain comments from the ECOWAS Court or the Government of Ghana regarding the case.

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The legal action comes amid growing international scrutiny of third-country deportation agreements and their implications for refugee protection and international human rights obligations.