Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has called on the government to be transparent about the circumstances surrounding the recent deportation of West African nationals from the United States to Ghana.
His comments come after reports that some of the deportees have taken legal action against Ghana, citing unlawful detention.
“I see there is some controversy over Ghana accepting some West African deportees from the US. It is only fair for the government to tell us what the entire arrangement is about, especially as I hear 11 of the deportees have decided to sue Ghana for unlawful detention,” Cudjoe remarked, adding humorously, “(Anokwa😄😃).”
He suggested that Ghana could use the situation as leverage in its diplomatic relations with Washington.
“And if I were Foreign Minister I’d leverage this to negotiate a substantial reduction of the 15% tariff imposed by Trump on Ghana in exchange. Speak the language Trump understands,” he stated.
Cudjoe also downplayed the alarm surrounding the situation, pointing out that Ghana routinely deals with undocumented entries through its borders.
“On a lighter note, every day, thousands of neighbours enter Ghana through our porous borders. Have we accounted for them?
“You are lucky the deportees are officially being ‘dumped’ here, and, mostly harmless deportees who can all be identified and fed by whoever is sending them here,” he added.
The controversy stems from the United States’ decision to deport 14 West African nationals—13 Nigerians and one Gambian, to Ghana before transferring them to their respective countries.
Lawyers representing some of the men argue that returning them to their home countries exposes them to persecution or torture, making the deportation a violation of international law.
On Monday, Ghana’s Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed that the men “have since left for their home countries,” though he did not provide details of when the transfers took place.
Critics have accused the Trump administration of attempting to sidestep U.S. immigration laws by sending individuals to third countries instead of directly deporting them to their homelands.
Lawyers likened the move to the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador despite a court order, highlighting what they describe as a growing trend of the U.S. distancing itself from the repercussions of deportation.
