Moroccan Woman Deported from US Despite Judge's Protection Order, Faces Danger
A 21-year-old Moroccan woman, identified only as Farah for safety reasons, has revealed that she was deported from the United States to countries where homosexuality is criminalized, despite having legal protection from a US immigration judge. Farah fled Morocco after facing severe violence from her family and her partner's family due to her sexual orientation, which can carry up to three years in prison in her home country.
Escape and Asylum Journey
Before fleeing, Farah described being beaten and threatened with death by her family and her partner's family after they discovered her relationship. Forced out of her home, she and her partner traveled to a new city to escape further violence. With assistance from a friend, they obtained visas to Brazil and then embarked on a perilous journey through six countries to reach the US border, where they requested asylum in early 2025.
"You get put in situations that are truly horrible," Farah told The Associated Press. "When we arrived at the US border, it felt like it was worth the trouble and that we got to our goal."
Detention and Legal Protection
Instead of finding freedom, Farah spent nearly a year in immigration detention centers in Arizona and Louisiana. She described the facilities as extremely cold, with only thin blankets, and criticized the inadequate medical care provided. Although her asylum claim was denied, an immigration judge later issued a protection order, ruling that returning her to Morocco would endanger her life. Her partner, who did not receive such an order, was deported.
Deportation to Third Countries
Just three days before her scheduled release, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took Farah into custody and placed her on a flight to Cameroon, a country she had never visited and where homosexuality is also illegal. She was detained in a facility there and told officials she could not stay due to the risks. "They asked me if I wanted to stay in Cameroon, and I told them that I can't stay in Cameroon and risk my life in a place where I would still be endangered," she said. She was subsequently flown back to Morocco, where she is now living in hiding.
Legal and Human Rights Concerns
Farah is among many individuals confirmed to have been deported from the US to third countries despite having protection orders from US immigration judges. Lawyers argue that the Trump administration has used these third-country deportations as a tactic to pressure migrants in the country illegally to depart voluntarily.
Legal experts assert that sending people with protection orders to nations where they face serious harm violates US immigration law, international treaties, and due process rights. Immigration lawyer Alma David stated, "By deporting them, the US not only violated their due process rights but our own immigration laws."
Personal Impact and Broader Implications
Farah expressed that her experience was both unfair and cruel. "The USA is built on immigration and by immigrant labor, so we're clearly not all threats," she said. "What was done to me was unfair, only to be deported in such a way, is cruel." Her case highlights ongoing debates about US immigration policies and the protection of vulnerable groups, particularly LGBTQ individuals fleeing persecution.
