Farah, a 21-year-old woman who fled Morocco after what she describes as violent abuse by family members because she is gay, says a U.S. deportation shuffle has left her right back where she started and now living in hiding. Although a U.S. immigration judge granted her a protection order that was supposed to block her removal to Morocco, Farah says Immigration and Customs Enforcement still put her on a flight to Cameroon and eventually sent her on to her birthplace, where homosexuality is criminalized. Her account has quickly become a rallying point for critics who argue that the administration’s third-country deportation program quietly sidesteps basic legal safeguards.
According to The Associated Press, Farah traveled through several countries before seeking asylum in the United States in early 2025, at which point an immigration judge issued the protection order. The AP reports that in Cameroon she was held in cold, overcrowded detention, and that her partner, who did not receive the same protection, had already been deported. For her safety, Farah asked journalists to use only her first name.
Third-country deportations under scrutiny
Lawyers and local advocates in Yaoundé say the United States has quietly flown in groups of people with no prior connection to Cameroon, a practice that critics contend effectively undercuts protections granted by immigration judges, according to The Washington Post. Human Rights Watch has documented cases in which deportees were detained, pressured to return to their home countries and exposed to what it calls an "unsafe" risk of refoulement, where people are pushed back to places where they could face harm. Journalists who tried to cover the arrivals in Yaoundé were briefly detained, adding secrecy concerns to an already controversial program.
Money and politics behind the flights
A Democratic staff report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee found that the administration has spent about $40 million to deport roughly 300 people to third countries, often paying receiving governments in lump sums, according to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The report details deals with Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Rwanda and El Salvador, and criticizes the program for what it describes as opaque decision-making and weak monitoring. Opponents say the relatively small number of deportations compared with the steep price tag shows why Congress needs to dig in on oversight.
Legal questions and court rulings
Advocates argue that these flights may clash with federal court orders requiring that migrants get a "meaningful opportunity" to explain why being sent to a third country could put them in danger. A federal judge in Boston issued such protections after concluding that the administration’s expedited guidance likely violated due process, and courts have stepped in repeatedly to referee disputes over the practice, according to The Guardian. Lawyers for deportees have urged judges and lawmakers to press for the return of some migrants and to halt agreements that they say expose people to serious harm.
Why Farah’s case matters
Farah’s case has drawn attention in part because same-sex relationships remain criminalized in both Morocco and Cameroon, putting deported LGBTQ+ people at risk of arrest, detention and intense social pressure. Human Rights Watch reports that Morocco’s Article 489 allows for prison terms of up to three years, while country information from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada notes that Cameroon’s penal code provides for six months to five years in prison for same-sex sexual activity. Rights groups argue that routing migrants through countries with such laws can strip away protections they have already won in U.S. immigration court.
What officials say
The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security have defended third-country agreements as lawful tools that help manage removals and keep the border in check. Reporting in The Washington Post notes that officials have described implementing these deals as a priority, while declining to release full details of how they work. Senate Democrats counter that the secrecy and spending surrounding the program demand tougher congressional oversight and possible policy changes.
The fallout from Farah’s account and the flights to Cameroon has prompted courts, human rights organizations and lawmakers to push for more transparency and accountability around third-country deportations. For now, advocates say, migrants removed under the program remain at risk abroad, while critics continue to press the United States to explain how the transfers are carried out and to consider bringing back people who were sent to unsafe places.
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