Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Trump Deportations Leave LGBT Migrants Facing Hostile Conditions
Some people came to the United States because they were unsafe at home for being LGBT.
Reuters found 40 cases in which people who had received legal protection were sent instead to other countries in Africa.
Some of those countries punish same-sex relationships, while others have records of abuse against LGBT people.
Abdou Latifou was sent from the United States to Sierra Leone, then put on a plane back to Togo.
He left Togo again and now lives in Ivory Coast.
US officials say deportations to third countries are an important public safety tool.
A judge had raised concerns about the policy, but the Supreme Court paused that ruling.
The Supreme Court is due to hear arguments in December.
Reuters documented 40 cases of LGBT migrants with US legal protection deported to third countries in Africa.
Those destinations either criminalize same-sex relations or have documented abuses against LGBT people.
Abd you Latifou was deported from the United States to Sierra Leone, then sent back to Togo.
He fled Togo again and is now living in Ivory Coast, where he avoids the Togolese community.
The Supreme Court put a hold on a lower-court ruling that had restricted third-country deportations; arguments are scheduled for December.
- Who
- LGBT migrants who had received US legal protection, including Abdou Latifou.
- What
- The Trump administration has deported migrants to third countries where LGBT people may face criminal penalties or abuse.
- When
- During President Donald Trump's second term; the Supreme Court paused a lower-court ruling on Tuesday, and arguments are scheduled for December.
- Where
- From the United States to third countries in Africa, including Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Eswatini.
- Why
- The administration describes third-country removals as a public safety tool; the report says migrants were sent to countries where they could face risks related to their LGBT status.
Critics of the deportations
US administration position
Safety of LGBT migrants
Critics of the deportations
A former senior US immigration official said sending people to countries where they face the persecution the United States recognized undermines its protection system.
US administration position
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said ICE does not enforce the law based on sexual orientation and described third-country removals as an essential public safety tool.
Advance notice of destination-country risks
Critics of the deportations
Judge Brian Murphy called it unreasonable to expect people to make advance claims about every country to which they might be removed.
US administration position
The administration challenged the policy ruling; the Supreme Court's hold allows third-country deportations to continue while the case proceeds.
- Reuters-documented cases
- 40 LGBT migrants with US legal protection deported to third countries in Africa.
- Reported destinations
- Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Eswatini, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Deportations overall
- Preliminary government data shared with Reuters indicated more than 40,000 people were deported to countries other than their own during Trump's second term; about 900 were sent to African countries.
- Latifou's route
- Deported to Sierra Leone, returned to Togo, then crossed into Benin and traveled to Ivory Coast.
- Court action
- The Supreme Court put a hold on a lower-court ruling that had addressed third-country deportations; it will hear arguments in December.
- Reported case outcomes
- Reuters reported 16 people remained in deportation countries, 16 were repatriated, nine were in hiding elsewhere and one Ghanaian man was out of contact. These figures total 42, although the article says it documented 40 cases.