By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
ABOUT ELEVEN people deported from the United States of America (USA) to Ghana have taken legal action against the West African nation’s government, challenging what they describe as unlawful detention.
Their lawyer, Oliver-Barker Vormawor, confirmed the suit and insisted that his clients had not violated any Ghanaian law.
According to Vormawor, the eleven were transferred to a military facility upon arrival and continue to be held against their will.
Court papers state that the group had earlier been detained in a US facility before being shackled and placed aboard a military cargo aircraft bound for Ghana.
The legal application demands that the government produce the deportees in court and provide justification for their detention.
The case emerged shortly after authorities announced a broader agreement with Washington to receive deported migrants.
Ghana’s government has not commented on the lawsuit, though officials have previously disclosed that plans were underway to accept an additional 40 deportees from the US.
Opposition lawmakers have urged the suspension of the arrangement until it receives parliamentary ratification, insisting such approval is required by law.
They argue that any transfer of individuals into the country under international agreement cannot proceed without legislative oversight.
President John Mahama recently stated that 14 deportees of West African origin had arrived in Ghana following the accord with the US.
He later announced that all had been returned to their respective home countries.
However, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa contradicted that account, saying that only most of the group had been relocated.
The lawsuit filed by Mr Vormawor disputes both positions, asserting that 11 deportees remain confined in Ghana.
He told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that their presence in detention camps had no legal basis, as they had committed no offence under Ghanaian jurisdiction.
International reports indicate that the deportations are part of the US administration’s immigration enforcement drive under President Donald Trump.
Since taking office in January, he has pledged to pursue record levels of deportations of individuals in the country illegally.
Foreign Minister Ablakwa told Reuters that Ghana’s acceptance of deportees reflected humanitarian principle and pan-African empathy.
He stressed that the decision should not be interpreted as endorsement of Washington’s immigration policies.
Alongside the Ghanaian proceedings, five other deportees — three Nigerians and two Gambians — have initiated separate legal action in the United States.
Their filings argue that they were protected by an existing court order and should not have been deported.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian government has yet to issue an official response to the court challenge, which is set to test both the legal framework for handling deportees and the political weight of the immigration deal with Washington.
