Ghanaian officials to meet US Ambassador today over deportation

Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will later Monday, June 23, meet the US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson and other officials of the Embassy over the impending deportation of some 7,000 Ghanaians.

The meeting is aimed at finding a solution to the ensuing impasse between the US and Ghana government over the issuance of travel documents for some 7000 illegal migrants in the US.

The US government wants travel documents from the Ghanaian government to deport the Ghanaians but a delay in the process is causing an apprehensive between the two countries.

The United States Embassy in a statement issued on Wednesday indicated that the government of Ghana was not complying with international obligations regarding the issuance of travel documents to Ghanaians awaiting deportation in the USA.

The statement said the US will be forced to begin implementing visa restrictions in accordance with its laws as a responsibility owed the American people.

Some have accused the US of trying to bully Ghana by the threat, but according to US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, the US has fairly engaged Ghana on the matter.

He told an Accra based FM, "Citi News" that he has been holding discussions on the matter with government officials in the Mahama administration as well as the current Akufo-Addo government but nothing fruitful has come out of those discussions.

“It is unfortunate that almost 7,000 Ghanaians are facing deportation from the US because they have overstayed their visas or broken US law. We have been working with the government of Ghana my entire time here to repatriate people in the most humane way possible…. I’ve been talking with the government of Ghana about this for over two years.

"This is not [a] hasty [decision]. I talked to Members of Parliament. I talked to people in in the old government; I talk to people in the current governments. I am acting on instructions. This is not something I am initiating. We will enforce our immigration laws,” he said.

He, however, said he was ready for further engagements on the subject but is more interested in having the government of Ghana take action.



Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has called for speedy deportations that bypass any judicial process in a tweet on Sunday.

His comments come days after Mr Trump reversed a policy to separate migrant children from their parents following fierce backlash at home and abroad.

More than 2,300 children were separated from their parents in May and June.

As of May, all migrants who cross the US border illegally face criminal prosecution under the "zero tolerance" policy.

We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country. When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and Law and Order. Most children come without parents...

We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country. When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and Law and Order. Most children come without parents...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018