US News

Man deported to Ghana says he was forced onward to Mali

CBS News reports that Moussa Diawara says ICE deported him to Ghana despite a 2012 order barring his removal to Mali.

Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 00:16 UTC1 reports

The short version

CBS News reports that Moussa Diawara says ICE deported him to Ghana despite a 2012 judge's order barring removal to Mali.[CBS News]
Diawara says local officials in Ghana forced him onto a flight to Mali within days of his arrival.[CBS News]
A 60 Minutes review found 17 of 19 deportees it reached said they were later sent to countries judges had barred.[CBS News]
DHS's top lawyer says he is not aware of any cases of Ghana sending deportees onward against their will.[CBS News]

Moussa Diawara was deported by ICE to Ghana over the summer.[CBS News]
A U.S. immigration judge ruled in 2012 that Diawara could not be deported to Mali because he was likely to be persecuted there.[CBS News]
Diawara said that within days of arriving in Ghana, local officials forced him onto a flight to Mali.[CBS News]
The third-country deportation flight carrying Diawara had 63 people and left Texas on July 30.[CBS News]
Seventeen of the 19 deportees 60 Minutes reached in Ghana said they were later sent against their will to countries U.S. judges had ruled they should not be returned to.[CBS News]
DHS's top lawyer, James Percival, said he is not aware of any cases of Ghana sending people on to other countries against their will.[CBS News]

DHS attributes the Mali bag tags to contractors outside the destination-setting process and calls the Mali medical form a clerical error; Diawara's account of the Mali flight is not independently verified in the reporting.[CBS News]
The 60 Minutes findings rest on the 19 deportees it was able to reach, so they may not represent all passengers or deportees.[CBS News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.