The Ghanaian government has received 14 US deportees from various West African countries, including Nigeria.
President John Mahama disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking to reporters, AP reports. He, however, did not disclose the exact number of Nigerians on the list.
Ghana now joins Eswatini, Rwanda, and South Sudan on the list of African countries that have received deportees from the US since President Donald Trump’s return to office.
According to Mr Mahama, Ghana agreed to receive West African deportees because the ECOWAS protocol on free movement already allows nationals from the region to enter the country without a visa.
“We agreed with (Washington) that West African nationals were acceptable because all our fellow West African nationals don’t need a visa to come to our country,” he said.
He also noted that the deportees who arrived in the country, including those of Nigerian and Gambian origin, are planning to return to their home countries.
The US government has intensified its crackdown on immigrants, with Mr Trump labelling them as criminals and targeting nationals from countries with high rates of visa overstays.
The effort is part of his controversial pledge to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
Earlier in the year, the Rwanda government struck a deal to accept 250 deportees.
“Those approved for resettlement in Rwanda will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda,” the Rwandan government had announced.
Meanwhile, in July, the Nigerian government accused the US of pressuring it to accept Venezuelan deportees.
The government linked the 10 per cent import tariff imposed on the country by Mr Trump’s administration to its refusal to accept the deportees.
READ ALSO: NLC threatens to mobilise against NASS if Akpoti-Uduaghan is blocked from resuming
“We cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria for crying out loud. We already have 230 million people.
“You will be the same people who would castigate us if we acquiesce to accepting Venezuelans from US prisons to be brought in,” he said.
Aside from Africa, the administration has also sent deportees to many other third-world countries such as Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, and Yemen.
