Thirty-six African migrants deported from the United States to Cameroon have started legal proceedings to seek legal residency and prevent deportation to their home countries. Their lawyer, Fru Awah, stated that the migrants aim to reside legally in Cameroon and avoid being sent back to countries where they face persecution or torture.
The deportations occurred under a controversial US scheme that transfers foreign nationals in irregular situations to third countries. The complaint filed with the administrative court in Yaounde seeks to suspend the migration agreement between Cameroon and the United States.
The lawsuit challenges Cameroon's implementation of the arrangement with the US, which transferred individuals protected by US immigration courts from removal to their countries of origin. It asks the court to suspend further implementation, clarify the applicants' legal status, and prevent their onward removal.
Originally from countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Morocco, these individuals had been protected by US courts from deportation to their countries of origin. However, they were deported to Cameroon between January and May this year and now risk deportation to their home countries.
Since their arrival in Yaounde, these migrants have been living in a center run by the Cameroonian authorities with the International Organization for Migration. They have been deprived of identity documents, lack a clear legal status, and face restrictions on movement.
