Keypoints:
- US sends migrants with no Cameroon ties
- Lawyers say deportations breach court protections
- Secret deals with African states questioned
A DEPORTATION flight from the United States carrying migrants from Zimbabwe and Ghana, among other nationalities, has arrived in Cameroon, raising fresh legal and humanitarian concerns over Washington’s expanding use of third-country deportations.
The aircraft landed in Yaoundé on February 16, according to lawyers representing some of the deportees, marking the second known transfer of migrants to Cameroon within weeks under US President Donald Trump’s tightened immigration enforcement strategy.
Officials in Washington confirmed that a deportation flight had taken place but declined to provide further details about those removed or the terms of the arrangement with Cameroon.
Policy shifts reshape global deportations
The transfer reflects a growing US policy of deporting migrants not to their countries of origin but to third nations willing to accept them. Critics argue the practice risks undermining legal protections granted by US courts and raises broader questions about accountability, transparency and migrant rights as African countries increasingly become destinations for expelled non-nationals.
Lawyers allege violations of court protections
Legal representatives Alma David, based in the United States, and Joseph Awah Fru in Cameroon told The Associated Press that several deportees had previously received court protections preventing their removal.
They argue that relocating migrants to a country where they hold no citizenship, residency or family ties contradicts existing judicial rulings and exposes individuals to uncertain legal status.
While authorities have not disclosed the nationalities of those on the most recent flight, media reports indicate that an earlier group sent to Cameroon included five women and four men from Zimbabwe, Morocco and Ghana.
Lawyers say some migrants had fled safety concerns in their home countries and now face unclear legal pathways in Cameroon.
Secret agreements draw scrutiny
Cameroon joins a growing list of African states that have received deportees from the United States under arrangements that critics describe as opaque.
In recent months, migrants have also been transferred to South Sudan, Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda, Eswatini and Equatorial Guinea. Some deportees sent to these countries were not African nationals.
A report by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee estimates that at least $40 million has been spent relocating nearly 300 migrants to third countries under the expanded deportation programme.
The US State Department previously disclosed that Eswatini would receive $5.1 million to host up to 160 deportees under a similar agreement.
Details of arrangements with other governments, including Cameroon, have not been publicly released.
Criminal cases fuel local anxieties
Public debate has intensified in host countries amid reports that some deportees have criminal records.
Last year, five men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos — all convicted of serious crimes in the United States — were deported to Eswatini, prompting concerns among citizens about security implications and oversight.
Governments receiving deportees have provided limited public explanations. Ghana, for instance, denied receiving payments for accepting migrants last year, saying its decision reflected a ‘Pan-African’ humanitarian approach rather than financial incentives.
Human rights questions grow
US authorities maintain that deportations are lawful enforcement measures targeting individuals ordered removed under immigration law.
However, migrant advocates argue that sending people to unfamiliar third countries without established legal safeguards may violate international human rights standards and due process norms.
Campaigners warn that deportees risk becoming stranded — unable to return home yet lacking legal recognition or support systems in the countries where they are relocated.
As deportation flights continue, legal challenges and diplomatic pressure are expected to increase, particularly as African governments face growing domestic scrutiny over agreements to receive migrants with no prior connection to their territories.
