Eleven people detained in Ghana after being deported from the US have sued the West African nation's government, their lawyer has told the BBC.
Oliver-Barker Vormawor said the deportees had not violated any Ghanaian law, and their detention in a military camp was therefore illegal.
He wants the government to produce the group in court, justifying why they are being held against their will, the lawyer added.
The government has not yet commented on the lawsuit, but has previously announced plans to accept another 40 deportees. Opposition MPs are demanding the immediate suspension of the deportation deal until parliament ratifies it, asserting that this is required under Ghanaian law.
Last week, Ghana's President John Mahama noted that 14 deportees of West African origin had arrived in the country following an agreement with the US.
He later stated that all had been returned to their countries of origin, though Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa contradicted him, saying that only most had been returned.
Mr. Vormawor's court application disputes both accounts, asserting that 11 deportees remain in detention in Ghana.
The detainees were held in a US facility before being shackled and deported in a military cargo aircraft, according to court documents.
These deportations are part of the US government's stringent immigration policy that has increased significantly since President Trump took office.
Ghana's foreign minister indicated that the decision to accept deportees was based on humanitarian principles and pan-African empathy, clarifying that this should not be seen as an endorsement of the Trump administration's immigration strategies.
Five of the detainees, including three Nigerians and two Gambians, have also filed a lawsuit against the US government, claiming they were protected by a court order and should not have been deported.
