Minister-Designate for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has debunked reports suggesting that 6,200 Ghanaians are facing mass deportation from the United States. He clarified that only 156 Ghanaians are currently at risk, according to official communication from U.S. authorities.
Speaking during his vetting before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Ablakwa addressed concerns about the widely circulated figure. He stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received information from Washington, D.C., confirming the significantly lower number of deportations.
There have been publications that about 6,200 Ghanaians will be affected by the mass deportation by the United States. But from the brief that has been shared with me from the officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they allay fears that the numbers are not that high and that currently, the official communication the ministry has received from Washington, D.C., is 156, not 6,200, which face imminent deportation.
Ablakwa reassured Ghanaians that the Foreign Affairs Ministry is actively engaging with U.S. officials to ensure the rights and dignity of affected citizens are protected. The clarification follows heightened concerns over the Trump administration’s intensified immigration crackdown.
Since Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested over 3,500 unauthorized immigrants nationwide. Deportation flights have already commenced, with the U.S. military reportedly involved in the transportation of migrants to their home countries or third nations.
The crackdown comes as part of broader immigration enforcement efforts under Trump’s administration. According to estimates by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., a country with a total population of 341 million.
As deportations continue, Ghanaian authorities remain in talks with their U.S. counterparts to manage the situation and provide necessary consular support to affected individuals.