Advocacy Groups File Lawsuit Against Ghana at ECOWAS Court Over Trump — Era Deportations BODY: On June 30, 2026, advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the government of Ghana at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice in Abuja.
The complaint, representing the interests of at least 27 deportees, targets Ghana’s alleged complicity in the Trump administration’s “third-country removal policy. Officials commented on the matter. Under this policy, individuals who could not be sent directly to their home countries due to potential harm were instead sent to third countries.
Advocacy groups argue that this policy has led to the suffering of deportees, who were granted protections in the US but were removed to Ghana within hours or days of arrival.
The complaint, filed by the Global Strategic Litigation Council and the Transnational Disputes Clinic at Cornell Law School, asserts that Ghana is violating both domestic and regional law by facilitating removals to unsafe countries.
According to the complaint, many of the deportees were stranded in third countries with no means to continue their journeys. Some were even said to have been removed to countries they had previously fled.
The lawsuit is significant not only for the individuals affected but also for the broader context of international human rights and immigration policy. Advocacy groups are seeking to discourage other ECOWAS members from entering into similar agreements with the Trump administration.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice is the highest judicial body for the regional bloc, which consists of 12 countries.
The court’s decision in this case could set a precedent for the handling of similar issues within the region and beyond.
As of the time of publication, the Ghanaian government has not issued an official response to the complaint.
However, the situation has drawn attention from both domestic and international observers, who are awaiting a response from the government.
The filing of the lawsuit against Ghana represents a critical moment in the ongoing debate over the rights of deportees and the role of third countries in international immigration policy.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
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This original article was produced by the ImNews editorial team
Source: aljazeera
Source: Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters
