France 24 investigation probes US deportations to African third countries
An investigation examines alleged arrangements for ICE to send migrants to Ghana, Cameroon and Eswatini, where some reportedly face detention, uncertainty and possible onward removal.
France 24 has reported an investigation into alleged arrangements under Donald Trump’s administration for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deport migrants to African “third countries” — nations other than their countries of origin.
The investigation focuses on Ghana, Cameroon and Eswatini. It reports that some people deported from the United States had no relatives, income, legal status or established ties in the countries where they were sent.
According to France 24, some deportees are living in limbo, including situations involving detention and the risk of being removed to countries they had previously fled. The report says many had spent decades in the United States, where they worked, paid taxes and left families behind.
The investigation alleges that Washington used political and financial arrangements, as well as trade and tariff incentives, to secure agreements with African states to receive migrants detained by ICE.
France 24 said the investigation was conducted over six months with RFI and Forbidden Stories, alongside a consortium of 26 media outlets. The supplied material does not identify the agreements’ legal terms or the number of people deported, and does not include responses from the US administration or the African governments named.
