US deports 9 individuals to Cameroon despite court protections, according to NYT

The Trump administration covertly deported nine individuals to Cameroon, even though many possessed U.S. court protections against such measures and none originated from that African country, as reported by the New York Times on Saturday.

According to the newspaper, citing government documents and attorneys for the deportees, several men and women who boarded a flight from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Cameroon on January 14 were unaware of their destination until they were placed on a Department of Homeland Security flight and restrained with handcuffs and chains.

The Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and Cameroon’s Ministry of External Affairs have not yet provided a response to Reuters’ requests for comment. Reuters was unable to promptly contact the attorneys representing the detainees.

The administration of President Donald Trump has not disclosed any agreement in which Cameroon consented to accept deportees from other countries.