Migrants expelled from the US challenge Cameroon deportation deal
Thirty-six African migrants expelled from the United States challenge deportation pact with Yaoundé
Thirty-six individuals from nine African countries, forcibly returned from the United States to Cameroon, have filed a lawsuit in the Yaoundé administrative court. Their legal team seeks to block the enforcement of the bilateral agreement that enabled their transfer and is demanding urgent protection to prevent further deportation to their home nations, where they claim persecution risks await.
- Immigration
In a groundbreaking legal move, 36 African migrants expelled from the United States have taken Cameroon to court over the deportation deal inked between Washington and Yaoundé. The unprecedented lawsuit, filed before the administrative tribunal in Cameroon’s capital, seeks immediate suspension of the agreement that allows Washington to reroute deportees to Cameroonian soil. Beyond suspension, the petitioners are requesting legal residency status to prevent any future forced removals to their countries of origin.
According to their legal representative, several deportees face imminent threats of persecution or torture if returned to their homelands. “Cameroon cannot be weaponized as a transit hub to send individuals back into harm’s way,” stressed the lawyer during a press briefing. The group includes nationals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco—all countries where their legal representatives argue they would be at risk.
Administrative limbo fuels legal battle
Legal filings reveal that most petitioners had secured US court injunctions blocking their deportation to their countries of origin before being unexpectedly rerouted to Cameroon between January and May 2026. Since their arrival, they’ve been housed in a temporary facility supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Their legal team highlights their ongoing lack of proper identification documents and restricted movement, underscoring the precariousness of their situation in Cameroon.
The Trump administration’s policy framework permits rerouting migrants to third countries when original deportation destinations are legally blocked. This legal challenge now tests whether Cameroon’s judicial system will uphold or challenge the enforcement conditions of this contentious mechanism on its territory.