Moroccan LGBTQ Woman Deported via Cameroon Despite US Protection Order
A 21-year-old Moroccan woman identified as Farah says she is living in hiding in Morocco after being deported from the United States through Cameroon — despite having a protection order from a US immigration judge.
Homosexuality is criminalized in Morocco and punishable by up to three years in prison under Article 489 of the penal code. Farah told AP that she fled the country after facing severe violence from her family over her sexual orientation.
According to her, she was beaten by relatives and by the family of her partner after their relationship was discovered. She said she was forced out of her home and later tracked down and nearly killed. Fearing for her life, she and her partner traveled to Brazil on visas before undertaking a weeks-long journey across six countries to reach the United States border in early 2025, where they applied for asylum.
Farah says she was detained for nearly a year in US immigration facilities in Arizona and Louisiana. Although her asylum claim was denied, she received a protection order in August from a US immigration judge, barring her deportation to Morocco on the grounds that it would endanger her life.
However, she says she was later handcuffed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and flown to Yaoundé , Cameroon — a country she had never visited and where same-sex relations are also criminalized. She was held in a detention facility in the capital before being returned to Morocco.
Farah says Cameroonian authorities asked if she wished to remain in the country, but she refused, citing safety concerns. She was subsequently flown back to Morocco, where she now says she is in hiding and fears being located by her family.
She is among dozens of migrants allegedly deported to third countries by the Trump administration despite holding protection orders issued by US immigration judges. The exact number of affected individuals remains unclear.
Lawyer Joseph Awah Fru, who represents detainees in Cameroon, reportedly stated that at least 15 deportees from various African countries are currently being held in a detention facility in Yaoundé, none of whom are Cameroonian nationals.
The case raises renewed questions about third-country deportations, due process protections, and compliance with international human rights standards, particularly for vulnerable individuals fleeing persecution based on sexual orientation. How fair are these deportations into third party countries without due processes?
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