Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says that 94 Ghanaians were deported from the United States in 2024 as part of the US government’s intensified immigration crackdown.
The minister told the lawmakers in his address in Parliament on Thursday that no Ghanaian had been deported from the US so far this year.
Referring to data from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which recorded 37,660 deportations in January 2025, with no Ghanaians included, he disclosed that two Ghanaians had recently been deported to Costa Rica, with Ghana’s Washington Mission working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to facilitate their transfer back to Ghana.
He also said that 150 Ghanaians were currently being held in various US detention centres for offences such as rape, internet fraud, and illegal entry.
“Fifty out of the 150 individuals have received final deportation orders from the court, with their deportation expected by mid-year. The remaining 100 cases are either under appeal or have been dismissed,” he said.
According to him, diplomatic interventions have secured the release of one Ghanaian on medical grounds, while three others are scheduled to depart the US on commercial flights on March 19, March 28, and April 1, 2025.
The report by Daily Graphic quoyed the minister as saying that additionally, 10 Ghanaians have been interviewed by the Ghanaian Embassy to verify their nationality and ensure they have received a fair hearing. They are now awaiting the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to purchase their flight tickets before their travel documents can be issued.
The minister also disclosed that a recent directive from US ICE has placed over 600,000 unaccompanied migrant children under review for possible deportation. “There are four Ghanaian children known to the Ghana Mission who fall under this category,” he said, adding that these minors could face deportation if they fail to prove familial connections or legal guardianship.
GIK/APA