ICE disputes 60 Minutes story of deported migrant father

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 02:32 · Archive

US immigration officials have alleged that a migrant deported to Ghana misrepresented himself as gay on his asylum application to avoid deportation.

Moussa Diawara, 57, from Mali, arrived in the United States in 2001 and overstayed a tourist visa. He was deported from Texas on 30 July after the Trump administration issued a deportation order, despite having no criminal record. An immigration judge ruled that he would be sent to Ghana rather than Mali, a country he has no connection to, after Diawara applied for refugee protection claiming he would face persecution if returned.

CBS News aired a segment on 60 Minutes this week featuring Diawara's family, including his 16-year-old son Corey and 12-year-old daughter, speaking of their anguish at his deportation. However, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency alleged that Diawara claimed to be gay on his 2009 asylum application to avoid deportation. In that application, obtained by Fox News, Diawara wrote that he needed to remain in America as 'a gay man who could be killed if sent back' to Mali, stating he had experienced persecution based on sexual orientation.

ICE posted on social media that the case illustrated 'widespread fraud throughout the immigration system', whilst Diawara's family in Texas say they remain separated from him in Ghana.

How it is being reported

• Deported migrant who '60 Minutes' painted as sympathetic family man claimed he was gay on asylum applicationMoussa Diawara's 2009 asylum application claimed he was a gay man facing persecution in Mali, appearing to contradict the family man narrative shown on "60 Minutes."Fox News · 27 Oct, 02:10
• ICE blasts 60 Minutes segment on migrant dad deported to Ghana and claims he lied about being gay to stay in USThe Trump administration slammed 60 Minutes for airing a gushing segment on migrant father Moussa Diawara, 57, who was deported to Ghana, as it claims he lied about being gay to stay in the US.Daily Mail · 26 Oct, 12:39

In this story: Moussa Diawara · Mali · Ghana · Texas · US Immigration and Customs Enforcement · 60 Minutes · CBS News

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