The United States (US) immigration attorney Meredith Yoon has accused the Ghana government of violating international law by allegedly deporting refugees to countries they fled.
Meredith Yoon in a report aired on the renowned American television programme “60 Minutes” made the allegations.
The US immigration attorney alleged that the US government was aware of Ghana’s conduct but continued to send deportees to the country despite concerns about their treatment.
She further disclosed that the US government had been warned about Ghana’s conduct in a lawsuit filed last year.
“There’s no way the U.S. officials don’t know what Ghana is doing to people that the U.S. supports there,” she said.
According to Meredith Yoon, the United States had sent 10 additional flights to Ghana despite the concerns raised, questioning the legality of the transfers
“If they didn’t send Musa straight to Mali, they sent him to Ghana, who sent him to Mali,” Yoon said.
“They sent him to Ghana with full knowledge that Ghana is systematically deporting refugees back to the very countries they fled.”
She further questioned whether US officials were deliberately ignoring evidence about the treatment of deportees transferred to Ghana.
Meanwhile, US official, Percival, defended the deportation policy, stressing that the government had a responsibility to protect American citizens from individuals considered public safety threats.
Percival stated, “I’d really like to talk about the public safety threats associated with this population of aliens and the fact that every administration before President Trump absolutely abdicated their responsibility to the American people by letting criminals back on the street and doing no diplomatic efforts to get these people out”.
He further revealed that third countries, including Eswatini and South Sudan, had agreed to accept deportees with criminal records involving serious offences when their countries of origin refused to take them back.
Meanwhile, the famous US programme 60 Minutes report has places Ghana’s role in the US deportation programme under scrutiny.
In related news, in November 2025, a video went viral of Immigration officers forcibly dragging a Sierra Leonean woman who was part of the 20 West African nationals deported from the US.
In the viral video shared on X, immigration officials were seen dragging a woman on the floor out of a hotel in Ogbojo, Accra.
Reports suggest the incident happened at the Vicsem Hotel in Ogbojo, a suburb of Accra.
The US deportees were scheduled to be repatriated to their respective countries.
The Sierra Leonean woman who is alleged to be a registered nurse and who lived in the United States for 35 years.
According to the information gathered, the woman pleaded with officials to remain in Ghana as she claimed to have no relatives in Sierra Leone.
The Immigration officers declined her appeal; however, reports suggest she suffered an asthma attack during the confrontation with the officers.
The US deportees were brought into Ghana as part of an arrangement with the United States.
The development follows President John Mahama, speaking to the media in 2025, revealed that some 14 US deportees arrived in Ghana, with several of them being Nigerians and a Gambian.
He cited the regional bloc Ecowas’s free movement protocol that allows citizens of member states to enter other West African countries without a visa for up to 90 days.
John Mahama further revealed that Ghana had already facilitated the return of the Nigerians to their country, while the Gambian was still being assisted.
He stated, “We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US. And we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable”.
“The government of Ghana took the principled and humanitarian decision to accept the limited number of West African nationals deported from the United States under exceptional circumstances, in line with Ghana’s long-standing Pan-African ideals and unwavering commitment to regional solidarity,” President Mahama stated.
He added, “Our decision is grounded purely on humanitarian principles and Pan-African solidarity to offer temporary refuge where needed, to prevent further human suffering, and to maintain our credibility as a responsible regional actor. Ghana’s decision must be understood as an act of Pan-African empathy. It is not transactional like Rwanda, Eswatini, Uganda, or South Sudan”.
Mahama, however, clarified that the arrangement should not be seen as an endorsement of President Donald Trump’s new U.S. immigration policies.
Watch the video below:
60 Minutes obtained the names of 63 people on a deportation flight from Texas to West Africa. Of the 19 people we reached who were sent to Ghana, 17 say Ghana then transported them against their will to their home countries — places U.S. immigration judges had ruled they should not be returned to. A Department of Homeland Security lawyer told 60 Minutes he was not aware of cases in which Ghana had sent deportees home against their will. He also said he believes third-country removals have prevented crimes and made Americans safer. https://t.co/iNOFiDCmif
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 25, 2026
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