US deported Moroccan LGBTQ woman despite Court protection order

A 21-year-old Moroccan woman who fled brutal family violence over her sexual orientation is now living in hiding in Morocco after being deported from the United States despite a court protection order meant to keep her safe.

Identified only as Farah for safety reasons, she escaped Morocco after relatives allegedly beat her and threatened to kill her when they discovered her same-sex relationship. Homosexuality is criminalized in Morocco , and she feared imprisonment or worse if she remained.

Farah traveled through Brazil and trekked across six countries before reaching the U.S. border in early 2025, where she applied for asylum . Instead of finding refuge, she spent nearly a year in immigration detention facilities in Arizona and Louisiana, describing cold conditions, thin blankets, and inadequate medical care .

In August 2025, a U.S. immigration judge denied her asylum request but granted a formal protection order , ruling she could not be deported to Morocco because her life would be at risk.

Days before a scheduled hearing on her release, Farah said immigration officials handcuffed her and placed her on a flight to Cameroon , a country she had never visited and where same-sex relations are illegal . She was detained in Yaoundé alongside other deportees, many of whom reportedly had similar protection orders.

Faced with uncertain options and fearing further danger, Farah was eventually sent back to Morocco, the country she fled .

The US Department of Homeland Security has defended third-country deportations as lawful, while immigration lawyers argue the practice exploits legal loopholes and undermines due process protections .

Now back in Morocco, Farah lives in secrecy, fearful of being found.

“What was done to me was unfair and cruel ,” she said.