Parliament has summoned the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to appear on Friday, February 28, 2025, to address concerns surrounding the deportation of Ghanaians from the United States of America.
The move follows growing unease among lawmakers over the treatment of Ghanaian deportees, with calls for government intervention to support their reintegration.
Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament, Member of Parliament for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, expressed deep concern about reports of harsh conditions faced by Ghanaians in U.S. detention centres before their deportation.
“What is most distressing about these deportations is not only the scale but the inhumane treatment our citizens endure at U.S. detention centres before their forced removal. Stories in the news reports paint a grim picture of our citizens subjected to degrading conditions,” he said.
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Fordjour further urged the government to introduce structured reintegration programmes to assist returnees who have spent most of their lives abroad and may struggle to adapt.
“Some have spent most of their lives in America and will struggle to integrate into Ghanaian society without support, and it is therefore important for the government to establish structured reintegration programmes, including job placement initiatives,” he added.
156 Ghanaians facing imminent deportation
Foreign Minister-Designate Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in January revealed that 156 Ghanaians are currently facing deportation from the U.S., clarifying that earlier claims of 6,000 deportations under former US President Donald Trump’s administration were inaccurate.
"Currently, the official communication the ministry has received from Washington is 156, not 6,200. 156 imminent deportation," he stated during his vetting before the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
Among the affected individuals, approximately 40 have been identified for expedited removal. Ablakwa acknowledged the U.S. government’s intensified immigration enforcement, stating, "Those people expedited to be deported, it is clear that President Trump is really serious about this executive order."
Since President Trump’s inauguration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested over 3,500 unauthorized immigrants, with deportation flights already underway.
Call for diplomatic and legal support
Ablakwa stressed the urgent need for Ghana’s diplomatic missions to extend consular assistance to affected nationals.
"The strategy that we should deploy as a country is to ensure that our missions abroad extend consular services to all of these persons. They are our compatriots; we must be concerned about their welfare," he emphasized.
The minister also called for the establishment of a Consular Fund to provide legal support to Ghanaians facing deportation.
"If we have to give them legal assistance, that’s why I talked about the consular fund. We need to quickly populate that fund, and I’m happy that the distinguished Minister of Finance is here. As we work on the 2025 budget, it is a line item I would really be appealing to his ministry to approve, so that we would have a consular fund for the first time. That fund will be available for legal support and consular assistance," he explained.
Government assures protection of citizens’ rights
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the humane treatment of returnees, Ablakwa assured Parliament that Ghana would not abandon its nationals.
"Let’s do our best so that if they have a case to remain in those countries, and then if they have to be received by us, it is also done in a humane way that respects their rights. So, we are not going to leave them there to struggle on their own. We will let them feel and know that the government of Ghana, the people of Ghana care about their plight and that we are doing our best to extend to them consular assistance," he stated.
Rising numbers of deportees
Over the past four years, 258 Ghanaians have been deported from the U.S. as immigration enforcement under ICE intensifies. Lawmakers and immigration analysts argue that without proper reintegration measures, deportees could face social and economic hardships upon their return to Ghana.
