Of the detainees, 120 are awaiting final decisions from the Board of Immigration Appeals, while 49 have exhausted all legal processes and are awaiting deportation arrangements, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told Parliament on Wednesday.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs records, 159 Ghanaians have already been deported this year. Of these, 90 returned on commercial flights unaccompanied, while 66 were on chartered flights under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) supervision. As of November 18, 2025, the Washington Mission had only one pending request from ICE for travel documentation.

Mr. Ablakwa noted that undocumented migrants can initiate self-deportation through the Customs and Border Protection Home App, created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Ghana’s Washington Mission assists detained Ghanaians with legal counsel, verification of nationality, and issuance of travel documents before deportation.

Upon return, deportees receive reintegration support, including food, social and psychosocial services, financial assistance, skills training, counselling, and medical care to aid smooth reintegration into Ghanaian society.

The Minister emphasised that the detentions were not targeted at Ghanaians specifically, but were part of the general implementation of Executive Order 14159. He also highlighted Ghana’s overstay rate in the U.S., currently at 31 per cent, noting that the country was recently removed from a list of 36 nations previously restricted from applying for U.S. visas following bilateral engagements.

Mr. Ablakwa urged Ghanaian students abroad to accept legitimate job offers only with the appropriate work visa, rather than working on a student visa.