The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that 169 Ghanaians have been deported from the United States since January 2025. The disclosure was made when the Minister addressed Members of Parliament on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
According to the Minister, 90 of the deportees arrived in Ghana unaccompanied aboard commercial flights, while an additional 66 were flown in on chartered control flights supervised by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Ablakwa further revealed that 388 Ghanaians have been held in U.S. immigration detention since the beginning of the year for various immigration-related violations.
“Of this number, 120 are awaiting final decisions by the Board of Immigration Appeals, while 49 have exhausted all legal processes and are awaiting deportation arrangements,” he stated.
No Human Rights Violations Reported
The Minister assured Parliament that the government has closely engaged with recently returned deportees to assess the conditions under which they were removed from the U.S.
“So far, from our engagements with these deportees, there has not been any evidence of violation of their rights,” he emphasized.
Ghana Not Receiving Money or Material Support for Accepting Deportees
Ablakwa also clarified that Ghana is not receiving any monetary, logistical, or material assistance from the United States for accepting deported third-country nationals.
“The government of Ghana has not requested any monetary support, logistical support, or material support for this intervention. The understanding is purely on humanitarian grounds,” he noted.
The update comes amid ongoing global migration challenges and heightened U.S. immigration enforcement under its current policies. The government says it will continue monitoring the situation while ensuring the dignity and safety of returnees.
