The Trump administration criticized a CBS News “60 Minutes” report Monday, arguing that the segment omitted a central detail about why a Malian national was deported to a third country.
The report focused on Moussa Diawara, a married father of two who was sent to Ghana in July. According to the “60 Minutes” account, Diawara had overstayed a tourist visa by more than 10 years and sought refugee protection that prevented his return to Mali.
The Department of Homeland Security said the broadcast failed to mention what it described as an “absurd bit of fraud” in Diawara’s asylum paperwork: his claim that he is gay.
DHS General Counsel James Percival criticized the report in a post on X, calling Diawara the program’s “poster child” for its argument that some deportations are unjust.
After reviewing Diawara’s immigration records, Percival pointed to the fact that he is married to a woman. He wrote that Diawara had cited being “gay” as the reason he feared returning to Mali, presenting the case as an example of what he called widespread immigration fraud.
DHS said an immigration judge issued Diawara’s final removal order in 2012. The department also reiterated that his asylum application alleged he would face persecution in Mali because of his homosexuality, even though he is married and has two children.
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“DHS removed this illegal to a third country that provided diplomatic assurances for his safety,” the department said on X. It accused “60 Minutes” of leaving the allegation out of its segment about the man described as a “Texas dad.”
In an asylum application obtained by Fox News, Diawara wrote that coming to the United States gave him the opportunity to express his feelings toward men without embarrassment or restraint.
He also stated that, although he was born male, he had experienced feminine behaviors and feelings from an early age. He wrote that he felt more comfortable pursuing intimacy with men than with women.
During the CBS segment, Diawara said that Ghanaian authorities placed him on a flight to Mali only days after he arrived in the country.
When “60 Minutes” located him in August, the program said Diawara was homeless and hiding in Mali because he feared for his safety.
CBS News reported that, after spending several weeks in Mali, Diawara escaped to another country with help from local truck drivers. He asked the program not to identify that country, citing concerns about his safety.