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

Woman says she was sent to Morocco after fleeing violence in her home country

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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A 21-year-old gay woman named Farah says she fled Morocco after facing violence from her family for her sexual orientation, only to be deported by U.S. immigration authorities to Cameroon, a country where homosexuality is illegal. Farah had received a protection order from a U.S. immigration judge, but was still deported to a third country where she faced danger.

Why it matters

This case highlights concerns about the Trump administration's use of third-country deportations, which critics say violate due process and international law by sending asylum-seekers to countries where they face persecution. It also raises questions about the treatment of LGBTQ asylum-seekers and the challenges they face in the U.S. immigration system.

The details

Farah, a 21-year-old gay woman, fled Morocco after facing violence from her family for her sexual orientation. She traveled to the U.S. border seeking asylum, but was detained for nearly a year before being denied asylum. Though an immigration judge issued her a protection order, preventing her deportation to Morocco, she was instead deported to Cameroon, a country where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to 3 years in prison.

  • Farah fled Morocco in early 2025.
  • Farah arrived at the U.S. border and requested asylum in early 2025.
  • Farah was detained for almost a year before receiving a protection order from a U.S. immigration judge in August 2025.
  • Farah was deported to Cameroon shortly after receiving the protection order in August 2025.
  • Farah was then flown from Cameroon to Morocco, where she is currently in hiding.

The players

Farah

A 21-year-old gay woman who fled Morocco after facing violence from her family for her sexual orientation.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The U.S. government agency that detained and deported Farah to Cameroon despite her having a protection order from a U.S. immigration judge.

U.S. Immigration Judge

The judge who issued Farah a protection order, ruling that she could not be deported to Morocco because it would endanger her life.

Alma David

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

Joseph Awah Fru

A lawyer in Cameroon who represents the deportees being held in a detention facility in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.

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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 (The Associated Press)

“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 (The Associated Press)

“They were given two impossible choices. 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 (The Associated Press)

What’s next

Lawyers representing the deportees in Cameroon plan to apply on Monday to gain access to speak with the individuals being held in the detention facility in Yaoundé.

The takeaway

This case highlights the human toll of the Trump administration's use of third-country deportations, which critics say violate due process and international law by sending vulnerable asylum-seekers to countries where they face persecution. It underscores the urgent need for reform of the U.S. immigration system to better protect the rights and safety of LGBTQ individuals seeking refuge.