ACCRA, Ghana – September 16, 2025 – A bisexual man from Gambia, identified as K.S. in court documents to protect his identity, faces severe danger after being deported from the United States to Ghana and subsequently returned to Gambia, despite U.S. legal protections barring his removal to a country where he risks persecution for his sexual orientation. According to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, K.S. fled Gambia, where same-sex relationships are criminalised with penalties up to life imprisonment and was granted withholding of removal in the U.S. under the United Nations Convention Against Torture and U.S. immigration law, acknowledging the risk of persecution in his home country. Deported to Ghana earlier this month and sent back to Gambia on September 10, 2025, K.S. now lives in hiding, relying on local activists to evade violence, according to attorneys. His full name and age remain undisclosed in court filings and media reports to ensure his safety.
K.S. was one of 14 West African migrants, primarily Nigerians with one Gambian, deported from a Louisiana detention centre to Ghana, a country most had no ties to, on a U.S. military plane in a 16-hour journey without being informed of their destination. They were held in “squalid conditions” at Dema Camp, a military facility, under armed guard, as detailed in the ACLU lawsuit. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama confirmed on September 10, 2025, that Ghana accepted the deportees as part of an agreement with the Trump administration and facilitated their return to their home countries.
On September 13, 2025, hearing ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt told U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan that four other deportees face imminent return to their home countries, despite U.S. immigration judge orders barring such moves due to persecution risks. Judge Chutkan described the U.S. government’s actions as a possible “end-run” around legal protections, ordering it to clarify efforts to prevent further removals by 9 p.m. EST that day.
A Justice Department attorney conceded that Ghana appeared to violate diplomatic assurances not to send deportees to countries where they could face harm but stated the U.S. lacked authority to intervene. The Department of Homeland Security denied any violations, stating that all deportees received due process and noting that many had criminal records, including charges such as injury to a child and robbery.
K.S. now faces constant threats of exposure and violence in Gambia, where same-sex acts remain criminalised. The remaining deportees in Accra, including individuals from Nigeria and Senegal, also risk being sent to countries where they face persecution for their identities, political beliefs, or other factors. The ACLU and other advocates continue to press for the U.S. intervention to ensure compliance with international human rights obligations and protect the deportees from further harm.
Source: New York Times, CBS News, Law Dork
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