📰 U.S. Judge Raises Legal Concerns Over West African Deportations

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has questioned the legality of recent deportations carried out by the Trump administration, involving Nigerian and Gambian migrants sent to Ghana. The move has sparked legal scrutiny and human rights concerns.

Judge Tanya Chutkan, presiding in Washington, D.C., convened an emergency hearing after attorneys for the deportees alleged that their clients were misled and feared persecution if returned to their actual home countries. The migrants had anticipated repatriation to Nigeria and Gambia, not Ghana.

The deportations followed Ghana’s agreement to accept West African nationals removed from the U.S., prompting accusations that the administration sought to bypass established immigration protocols. A pending lawsuit claims the transfers are part of a broader effort to evade legal safeguards for asylum seekers.

The case underscores growing tensions over U.S. immigration enforcement and raises questions about international cooperation and the protection of vulnerable migrants.

U.S.-District-Court-for-the-District-of-Columbia-333-Constitution-Avenue-N.W-Picture-by-dcd.uscourts.gov