Only 156 Ghanaians facing deportation from the US – Ablakwa clarifies

The Minister-Designate for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has clarified that only 156 Ghanaians are currently facing imminent deportation from the United States, contrary to earlier reports suggesting a mass deportation of 6,200 individuals under President Donald Trump.

Speaking during his vetting before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Ablakwa stated that official information from U.S. authorities indicates a significantly lower number of affected individuals.

According to him, only 156 Ghanaians are at risk of deportation from the U.S., not 6,200, as previously reported in the media.

He also assured that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working closely with U.S. authorities to safeguard the rights and dignity of affected Ghanaians.

“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 DC is 156, not 6,200, which face imminent deportation,” he stated.

Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 3,500 unauthorized immigrants across the country.

The Trump administration has also begun deportation flights, using U.S. military aircraft to transport migrants to their countries of origin or third nations.

According to estimates by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., which has a total population of 341 million.