By: Kenneth Appiah Bani
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, to Ghana, according to a notice issued to his attorneys this week.
Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was controversially deported in March to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison despite a 2019 U.S. court order explicitly prohibiting his removal to that country due to credible fears of persecution.
His legal team and family have long maintained that Abrego Garcia has no criminal ties, refuting claims by the Trump administration that he was affiliated with the MS-13 gang. The family insists the allegations were fabricated and politically motivated, leading to his unlawful deportation.
Now, the DHS’s new plan to deport him to Ghana. a country with which Abrego Garcia has no known connection has raised serious legal and human rights questions. Immigration attorneys and advocacy groups argue that such a move would violate international conventions prohibiting “chain deportation,” where an individual is transferred between countries without due process or nationality ties.
“This action defies logic and law,” said one of his attorneys. “Mr. Abrego Garcia is neither Ghanaian nor has any right of residence there. Deporting him to Ghana is both unlawful and deeply inhumane.”
Legal experts suggest that DHS may be attempting to transfer him to Ghana under an administrative loophole involving temporary holding arrangements between countries. However, Ghanaian authorities have not confirmed any agreement to receive the deportee.
Abrego Garcia’s family in Maryland has also appealed to U.S. lawmakers for intervention, saying they fear for his life if the deportation proceeds. “He’s being tossed between countries like a package,” his wife said. “He deserves justice and safety, not persecution.”
As of now, it remains unclear when DHS intends to carry out the deportation. Advocates are urging the Biden administration to review the case immediately and reaffirm America’s commitment to due process and human rights protections for asylum seekers and noncitizens.
Source: ABC NEWS
