The United States has reportedly deported nine migrants to Cameroon under a little-publicised third-country deportation policy, raising fresh legal and humanitarian concerns.
According to an investigation by The New York Times, the migrants—none of whom are Cameroonian nationals—were placed on a Department of Homeland Security flight on January 14 from Alexandria, Louisiana. The report says the individuals were not informed of their destination until after they had been restrained with handcuffs and chains.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Department of State, nor Cameroon’s Ministry of External Affairs has publicly confirmed the existence of any formal agreement authorising the transfer.
With this development, Cameroon is reported to have joined Rwanda and Eswatini as African states linked to US third-country deportation arrangements. Such agreements typically involve migrants who cannot be returned to their countries of origin due to diplomatic breakdowns, missing travel documents, or security-related concerns.
The policy has sparked court challenges across the United States, with immigration advocates arguing that deporting individuals who may have pending asylum claims or other legal protections could breach due process rights and international principles, including the prohibition against returning people to places where they may face harm.
In several instances, federal judges have temporarily blocked removals while examining whether the deportations could expose migrants to danger or constitute unlawful transfers. Human rights groups have also warned that sending people to countries with which they have no cultural, legal, or familial ties raises serious humanitarian questions.
For President Donald Trump, the reported expansion of third-country deportations aligns with a core policy objective: accelerating removals and tightening immigration enforcement. Since returning to office, his administration has prioritised faster deportation processes, particularly for migrants whose home governments delay or refuse repatriation.
The reported Cameroon transfers add to growing scrutiny of the policy, as legal battles continue and calls mount for greater transparency around how and where deported migrants are sent.
Source: Africa Publicity
