Ghana Becomes Fifth African Nation to Take in Us Deportees
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama confirmed on Thursday that his country had started receiving West Africans expelled from the United States.
Mahama said 14 deportees – among them Nigerians and one Gambian – had arrived in Ghana before being sent on to their home countries.
“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US and we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable because all our fellow West Africans don’t need a visa to come to our country,” Mahama told journalists at a press conference.
He did not say how many people Ghana would ultimately agree to take in.
The deal comes as Washington raised tariffs on Ghanaian goods from 10 to 15 percent and limited visas for Ghanaians to single-entry permits valid for three months.
Ghana is now the fifth African nation to reach such an agreement with the US.
In August, Uganda’s foreign ministry said it would take deported migrants as long as they had no criminal records and were not unaccompanied minors. Rwanda also confirmed a deal with Washington in August.
Last week, South Sudan said it had repatriated a Mexican man who was deported from the US in July.
In July, men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba were flown to Eswatini.
Uganda strikes deal with Washington over migrants deported from the US
Deportation from US
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to step up removals of illegal immigrants and increase deportations to third countries.
At a rally in Arizona before the US presidential elections in November, Trump attacked the immigration record of his predecessor Joe Biden.
“We’re a dumping ground,” Trump told Republican supporters. “We’re like a garbage can for the world. That’s what’s happened.
“Every time I come up and talk about what they’ve [Biden] done to our country I get angry and angrier. First time I’ve ever said garbage can. But you know what? It’s a very accurate description.”
In February, hundreds of people were deported from the US to Panama, including some removed before their asylum claims could be heard.
Hundreds more were sent to El Salvador after the US government invoked an 18th century law to expel people it accused of being Venezuelan gang members. Some were deported despite judges in the US ordering planes to turn back.
By RFI website.
