In response to the deportation of Ghanaians in the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken sweeping actions to assist impacted citizens as apprehension increases amongst the Ghanaian diaspora following the tightened immigration policy of the Trump administration.
Addressing the Parliament floor today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa, stated that the ministry has increased engagement with the US government and stakeholders in Ghana to fight the new face of mass deportation of unregistered immigrants, Ghanaians included. The actions come after extreme US immigration policy changes under the Trump administration, which have witnessed heightened deportations, including those with no criminal history or valid visas. Per the minister, to date in February 2025, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 37,660 individuals in the month of January alone. Ghanaians were not among them, but 94 Ghanaians were deported in 2024.
Reports of rising fears and tensions within the Ghanaian diaspora show that the Trump administration escalated enforcement efforts, including an expansion at the Guantanamo Bay detention center to house migrants. Hon. Ablakwa updated the nation on the proactive interventions the ministry takes during such deportations to mitigate Ghanaians from their harsh impacts. "Our concern is to make sure that all the deportation exercises are carried out in dignity and with the respective respect for human rights," he emphasized, pointing out, "We are working with all stakeholders to safeguard the security and well-being of our citizens.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has held earnest discussions, such as the February 2025 meeting between the US Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Virginia E. Palmer, and themselves. "We have registered our concerns over the inhuman treatment of some of our nationals in the past, where they were deported in chains," Hon. Ablakwa revealed. "We have been assured by the American authorities that they would make the recurrences not occur."
There are 150 Ghanaians in various US detention centers, 50 of whom have been issued final orders of deportation. Deportation of these is imminent sometime in mid-2025.
The other 100 either are still on appeal or have been denied.
In preparation for future deportations, the Ministry has started serious preparations, including stakeholder meetings in the form of institutions such as the Ghana Immigration Service, National Security Secretariat, and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO). The end goal is to have in place an efficient reintegration program with health screening, psychological counseling, skills training, and micro-financing for deportees.
The government has disbursed $2 million to trigger the consular fund, aimed at providing immediate relief to the victims. "We will ensure that all our citizens are very well taken care of when they return," Hon. Ablakwa assured Parliament. "Our hope is to make the reintegration process as smooth and facilitative as possible."
The ministry initiative also includes having the Ghana embassy in Washington collaborate with the Ghanaian immigration in the USA to hold virtual town hall meetings that offer legal advice and services to nationals with immigration challenges. Their names will be submitted to the ministry for processing once their final orders of removal are given.
The minister concluded his report by restating the government of Ghana's commitment to helping deported citizens at all stages of the process while urging parliamentarians to approve the budget allocation of the ministry so that they can move at a quicker speed of operation. This is a time of uncertainty but we are joined together to ensure that all the Ghanaian citizens who have been caught up with this challenge are catered for and restored with dignity," Hon. Ablakwa said.
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