U.S. ICE Deports Moroccan Gay Asylum Seeker to Cameroon, Ignoring Protection Order
Updated (2 articles)
Background: Farah’s perilous trek from Morocco to the United States Farah, a 21‑year‑old gay woman, fled family violence in Morocco, traveled through six countries and entered the U.S. via Brazil in early 2025 seeking asylum [1]. She was detained for months in facilities in Arizona and Louisiana, where her asylum claim was denied [1]. In August 2025 an immigration judge issued a protection order intended to block any removal to Morocco [1].
Detention and court‑ordered protection in the United States While held in U.S. custody, Farah received a court‑issued protection order that legally barred her deportation to Morocco [1]. Her partner, lacking such an order, was deported back to Morocco earlier in the year [1]. The protection order remained active up to the day of her illegal transfer [1].
Illegal third‑country transfer to Cameroon despite the order Three days before a scheduled hearing on her release, ICE officers handcuffed Farah and flew her to Cameroon, a nation where homosexuality is criminalized [1]. She was placed in a detention center in Yaoundé that housed 15 deportees, eight of whom also held U.S. protection orders [1]. After a brief stay, she was subsequently flown to Morocco, completing the unauthorized removal [1].
Widespread use of third‑country deportations to bypass judges’ rulings Farah is among dozens of migrants sent to African countries under “third‑country” agreements despite existing U.S. protection orders [1]. The practice, rooted in policies dating back to the Trump administration, exploits a legal loophole that allows ICE to claim compliance with the law [1]. DHS maintains the removals follow statutory procedures, while the State Department declined comment and the IOM reported only limited involvement [1].
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Timeline
2017‑2021 (Trump administration) – The U.S. adopts a “legal loophole” that permits sending migrants to third‑country detention centers even after judges issue protection orders, a practice later used to pressure migrants and expand deportations [1].
Early 2025 – Farah, a 21‑year‑old gay Moroccan woman, flees family violence, secures Brazilian visas, traverses six countries and reaches the U.S. border to seek asylum, beginning a year‑long detention saga [1].
July 2025 – South Sudan becomes the first African nation to host U.S. third‑country deportees, receiving eight men in Juba after weeks at a U.S. base in Djibouti, launching a new migration‑policy arrangement [2].
Aug 2025 – An immigration judge issues a protection order for Farah that bars her removal to Morocco; her partner, lacking such an order, is deported back to Morocco [1].
Late 2025 (three days before her release hearing) – ICE officers handcuff Farah, airlift her to Cameroon despite the protection order, detain her in a Yaoundé center with 14 other deportees, and subsequently fly her to Morocco, exemplifying the loophole’s circumvention of judicial rulings [1].
Sep 2025 – Mexican deportee Jesús Muñoz‑Gutierrez is repatriated from South Sudan to Mexico, while South Sudanese national Dian Peter Domach is released locally, showing partial compliance with the July deportee agreement [2].
Dec 2025 – The United States warns South Sudan it may cut aid, accusing the government of imposing fees on humanitarian agencies and obstructing their work, heightening diplomatic tension over the deportee deal [2].
Feb 22 2026 – DHS states it “applies the law as written” and that third‑country agreements ensure due process; the State Department declines comment, and the International Organization for Migration notes it is “only aware of the removals and provides information on voluntary returns” [1].