US Deportation Flight Carrying Iranians, Afghans and Others Stops in Ghana En Route to Central African Republic

A US deportation flight departed Alexandria, Louisiana on Thursday evening and made a scheduled stopover in Ghana just after 1300 GMT on Friday before continuing toward the Central African Republic. The flight carried nationals from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Georgia, lawyers told AFP. At least two Iranian women were on board.

The Iranians had been granted withholding of removal, a form of protection that bars return to their country of origin but does not prevent removal to a third country. Emily Trostle, the attorney for the Iranians on the flight, said the passengers fear they will be forced to return to the countries they originally fled.

Alma David, a US immigration lawyer familiar with the case, said those headed to the Central African Republic are mainly withholding grantees from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Georgia.

The Trump administration has argued it is only barred from sending people with withholding of removal to their country of origin. The flight took off from Alexandria, Louisiana on Thursday evening according to the ICE Flight Monitor affiliated with non-profit Human Rights First.

It was unclear if some people were to be taken off the plane in Ghana or if they were all continuing to the Central African Republic, David said.

Deportees and lawyers have described unsanitary holding conditions in Ghana and indefinite detention in Eswatini, among other alleged abuses. From Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, another African hub, some people have been sent back home to countries in which US judges ruled they faced danger.