Ghana said it had accepted 14 migrants deported from the US as part of a bilateral agreement with Washington, following in the footsteps of other African nations approached by the White House as part of its immigration crackdown.
President John Mahama said the deportees included several Nigerians and a Gambian, adding that the move was in line with rules that allow the free movement of people within regional bloc Ecowas. Ghana has since helped the Nigerians return home and is assisting the Gambian national.
The deal comes at a time when the US has raised tariffs on Ghanaian goods and imposed visa restrictions on its nationals along with other countries around the world. Eswatini, Rwanda, and South Sudan have already accepted deportees from the US, sparking debate over the legality of the move and concerns for the migrants’ basic rights.