Ghanaian teacher was detained at Dulles Airport for over a week after admitting asylum plans

Anabella Gyasi and her son are on a flight back to Ghana after spending more than a week confined to a windowless room at Washington Dulles International Airport, following a federal judge's order on Friday that ended their attempt to seek asylum in the United States. Gyasi, 38, a teacher from Ghana, arrived in the United States on a tourist visa with her son, who was born with physical abnormalities affecting his fingers on both hands. Their tourist visas were valid until 2028.

Gyasi had secured an appointment at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio for her son to be evaluated for possible surgery. The detention began after Gyasi, during customs questioning, disclosed her fear of returning to Ghana based on the persecution she and her son faced because of his disability. A CBP officer wrote that when authorities examined Gyasi's phone, they found a history of searches on the topic of claiming asylum. In a sworn statement to immigration authorities, Gyasi admitted she had been researching the possibility of claiming asylum for the past two years and had also considered asylum in Canada and Australia. The government argued that her tourist visa was not valid because Gyasi "admitted under oath… her intent was not to leave the United States to return to Ghana." During her detention, Gyasi, who is four and a half months pregnant, was hospitalised twice.

US District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered that Gyasi and her son must be released from the hold room at the airport before the end of the day. The judge gave the Trump administration a 2pm deadline to arrange a nonstop flight back to Ghana. Hours later, the ACLU confirmed that Gyasi and her son were on a flight returning to their home country.