US Deports Gay Asylum-Seeker to Country Where Homosexuality is Illegal

Farah, a 21-year-old gay woman, fled violence in Morocco only to be deported by the US to a third country where she still faces danger.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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Farah, a 21-year-old gay woman, fled violence from her family in Morocco, where homosexuality is illegal, and sought asylum in the US. After being detained for nearly a year, she was denied asylum but received a protection order from a US immigration judge, preventing her deportation to Morocco. However, the Trump administration deported her to Cameroon, another country where homosexuality is illegal, in violation of her protection order.

Why it matters

This case highlights the Trump administration's use of third-country deportations to pressure migrants, even those with legal protection, to leave the US. It raises concerns about the US violating due process and international obligations by deporting asylum-seekers to countries where they face grave danger due to their sexual orientation.

The details

Farah said she was beaten by her family and her partner's family when they found out about their relationship in Morocco. She fled to another city but was tracked down and nearly killed. She and her partner traveled to Brazil with the aim of reaching the US, where they had friends, and asked for asylum upon arrival. After nearly a year in detention, Farah was denied asylum but received a protection order preventing her deportation to Morocco. However, she was then deported to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal, in violation of the protection order.

  • Farah and her partner arrived at the US border in early 2025.
  • Farah was detained for almost a year, first in Arizona and then in Louisiana.
  • In August, Farah received a protection order from a US immigration judge, preventing her deportation to Morocco.
  • Three days before a hearing on her release, Farah was handcuffed by ICE and deported to Cameroon in January 2026.

The players

Farah

A 21-year-old gay woman who fled violence in Morocco, where homosexuality is illegal, and sought asylum in the US.

Alma David

An immigration lawyer with the US-based Novo Legal Group who has helped deportees and verified Farah's case.

Joseph Awah Fru

A lawyer who represents deportees held in a detention facility in Cameroon's capital of Yaounde.

US Department of Homeland Security

The agency that confirmed there were deportations to Cameroon in January and asserted that the third-country agreements 'ensure due process under the US Constitution.'

International Organization for Migration

A UN-affiliated organization that said it is 'aware of the removal of migrants from the United States of America to some African countries' and that it 'works with people facing difficult decisions about whether to return to their country of origin.'

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What they’re saying

“It is hard to live and work with the fear of being tracked once again by my family. But there is nothing I can do. I have to work.”

— Farah

“By deporting them to Cameroon, and giving them no opportunity to contest being sent to a country whose government hoped to quietly send them back to the very countries where they face grave danger, the U.S. not only violated their due process rights but our own immigration laws, our obligations under international treaties and even DHS' own procedures.”

— Alma David, Immigration Lawyer, Novo Legal Group

“They were given two impossible choices, and claiming asylum was not clearly presented as one of them. This was before the lawyer had access to them. They'd been alone there in that facility without any help from anybody or any indication that there was gonna be an option other than going back to their home countries.”

— Alma David, Immigration Lawyer, Novo Legal Group

What’s next

The US Department of Homeland Security has not responded to further questions about the deportations to Cameroon, and the details of the diplomatic agreements between the US and Cameroon have not been released.

The takeaway

This case highlights the Trump administration's disregard for due process and international obligations in its efforts to deport migrants, even those with legal protection, to countries where they face grave danger. It raises serious concerns about the US violating the rights of asylum-seekers and the use of third-country deportations as a legal 'loophole' to pressure migrants to leave.