In the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé, a government compound has been transformed into a temporary shelter for migrants deported from the US. The shelter, located in a residential neighborhood, houses over 20 people from various African countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya. Barbara, a young woman from Ethiopia, is among them. She was deported to Cameroon in April 2026, despite having been granted "withholding of removal" in the US, a protection that prevents deportation to her home country due to fear of persecution.
Barbara fled her homeland of Ethiopia after war broke out between federal government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front in 2020. The conflict is believed to have killed over 600,000 people. She traveled to Brazil and then to the US, where she was detained and sent to an immigration detention center in Louisiana. Despite being granted protection, she was abruptly deported to Cameroon on April 28, 2026. "I was so shocked," she said. "They put me on a plane, and I landed here."
The US administration, under President Donald Trump, has been using a loophole to deport migrants who have been granted protection in the US to countries deemed "safe." Cameroon is one such country, with which the US has a bilateral agreement. The aim is to expel migrants who are legally protected from being deported to their home countries and to send a warning to those hoping to follow in their footsteps. Cameroonian lawyer Joseph Awah Fru provides legal assistance to migrants deported to Yaoundé.
The deportations are part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to step up deportations, with over 25,000 people having been deported so far. The US has signed over 35 "deals" with countries, mostly in Latin America and Africa, to facilitate these deportations. However, the content of many of these agreements remains shrouded in mystery. Kenyan lawyer Beatrice Njeri, a member of a coalition defending the rights of deportees, says that most of these agreements are secret and have not been submitted to Parliament for approval.
The agreement between the US and Cameroon was confirmed in an exchange of diplomatic notes in December 2025, published by the US State Department in June. The notes outline that Cameroon will treat deportees in a manner consistent with its international law obligations and ensure they are not subjected to persecution or torture. However, the actual terms of the deal remain opaque. An investigation by the New York Times suggests that the agreement was reached after the US threatened to suspend a $30 million payment to the UN Refugee Agency.
The UN Refugee Agency denied that the funds were earmarked for the resettlement of deportees, saying they would be allocated according to its mandate. A source close to the Cameroonian government confirmed that an agreement was reached between Washington and Yaoundé, apparently negotiated by President Paul Biya himself. The president's office did not respond to requests for comment. The deportations have left many migrants, like Barbara and Soraya, a Ghanaian who fled her country due to her sexual orientation, in a state of limbo.
At least 44 people from across Africa have been deported from the US to Cameroon, a country to which they have no connection. The deportees face significant challenges, including language barriers, lack of family or friends, and uncertainty about their future. As Soraya said, "In Accra, people I know are looking for me. They want me dead." The situation highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the US deportation policies and the treatment of migrants in third countries.
Key points
- The US has deported at least 44 Africans to Cameroon, a country with which they have no connection, despite having been granted protection in the US.
- The deportations are part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to step up deportations, with over 25,000 people having been deported so far.
- The content of many of the agreements between the US and third countries remains shrouded in mystery, with concerns about the treatment of deportees and their access to legal assistance.
