Star Metro - Ghana deports at least six west Africans expelled by US to Togo

Eleven deportees in total had sued the Ghanaian government to stop their further deportation, but one of their lawyers, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, told a judge at the Ghana High Court's Human Rights Division they had been "deported" over the weekend while the case was underway.

One was released to a relative in Ghana while six were confirmed to have been sent to Togo, Barker-Vormawor told AFP.

The rest were probably "sent to Togo as well. But we haven't been able to establish contact" with them, he said.

The fate of the deportees has been shrouded in secrecy as lawyers, human rights advocates and journalists try to keep tabs on the rapid pace of the Trump administration's deportations, and their acceptance by third countries around the world.

Even the timing of their original arrival in Ghana and exact whereabouts in detention have not been released.

The deportees -- from Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Liberia and Gambia -- had been sent to Ghana by the Trump administration in early September, though the news did not break until about a week later.

Lawyers in Ghana sued last week to free their clients from detention, alleging they had been held without trial or charge since their arrival, in a bid to prevent them from being sent to their home countries.

"All of these people were seeking asylum in the US, and they've made clear that they were facing persecution -- whether in connection with religious reasons, political, and even on the basis of their sexual orientation," Barker-Vormawor told AFP last week.

- Not an 'endorsement' -

Trump has overseen a drastic expansion of the practice of deporting people to countries other than their nation of origin, notably by sending hundreds to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

The deportations to Ghana are believed to have started in early September and more are underway, though Accra has kept many of the details under wraps.

The deal with Ghana was struck as relations with Washington come under pressure, with the west African country facing increased tariffs and restrictions on visas in recent months.

After Ghana's President John Mahama announced that an initial group of 14 deportees had arrived in Ghana, officials said they would be allowed to remain in the country temporarily, per regional visa-free travel rules, or return home.

The announcement sparked an outcry from political opposition groups, which said parliament had not been made aware of the deal.

Adding to the confusion, officials initially said all of the first 14 had returned home.

As of last week, only three had returned to their country of origin, with 11 remaining, Barker-Vormawor said.

Those 11 were the subject of the lawsuit seeking their release.

Four of the detainees were Nigerian, three were Togolese, two were Malian, one was Liberian and one was Gambian, according to the lawsuit.

Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said that 40 more deportees are expected in the coming days.

He said the decision to accept the deportees was based on humanitarian concerns and was not an "endorsement" of US immigration policy.

Barker-Vormawor said more deportees were continuing to arrive in the country as of last week.

M.Anderson--SMC