A controversial arrangement facilitating the transfer of irregular foreign nationals from the United States to third countries is now facing legal scrutiny. Thirty-six African individuals, deported from the United States to Cameroon in 2026, have initiated legal proceedings in Yaoundé. Their aim is to secure legal protection within Cameroon and to suspend the existing migration agreement with Washington, as announced by their lawyer, Me Joseph Fru Awah, this Wednesday.

The formal complaint, lodged with the Administrative Tribunal of Yaoundé, seeks to halt the migration pact established with the United States. Furthermore, it aims to enable these 36 deported individuals to formally request legal protection from Cameroon, thereby granting them a legal status to reside in the country.

Crucially, the legal action is intended to prevent any further expulsion of these individuals to their countries of origin, Me Joseph Fru Awah stated in a press release. The attorney emphasized, “Cameroon cannot be utilized as a transit point to send people back to face persecution or torture.”

Millions in aid and veiled threats

These 36 individuals, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco, had previously received protection from the American justice system against deportation to their home nations. Despite this, they were expelled to Cameroon between January and May 2026, and now face the renewed threat of being sent back to their countries of origin from Cameroonian territory.

Since their arrival in Yaoundé, these individuals have been housed in a facility managed by Cameroonian authorities in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). According to Me Joseph Fru Awah, they remain “without identity documents or clear legal status” and are “subject to restrictions on their movement.”

Cameroon is among several African nations that have consented to accept individuals deported from the United States. Other countries include the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Sierra Leone.

The Trump administration has consistently maintained that while it may be unable to repatriate these individuals to their specific countries of origin, there are no prohibitions against sending them to third-party nations.

An investigation revealed that the United States offered multi-million dollar agreements and used the leverage of visa restrictions to persuade third countries, particularly in Africa, to accept deported individuals, whether they were African or from other continents.