The Minister-Designate for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has emphasized that just 156 Ghanaians are currently facing immediate deportation from the United States, contrary to prior rumors that President Donald Trump will deport 6,200 people.
During his vetting before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Ablakwa indicated that official information from US authorities indicates a substantially lower number of impacted people.
According to him, only 156 Ghanaians are at risk of deportation from the United States, not the 6,200 originally claimed by the media.
He also stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working closely with US authorities to protect the rights and dignity of the affected Ghanaians.
“According to reports, the US will deport approximately 6,200 Ghanaians. However, according to the brief shared with me by officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the numbers are not that high and that the ministry has currently received official communication from Washington DC that 156, not 6,200, face imminent deportation,” he said.
Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended over 3,500 unlawful immigrants nationwide.
The Trump administration has also initiated deportation flights, which use US military planes to take migrants to their countries of origin or third countries.
The Pew Research Center estimates that there are around 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, which has a total population of 341 million.