The first batch of Nigerians marked for deportation under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration clampdown has officially left America.
Ghana’s former President, John Dramani Mahama, disclosed this in Accra on Wednesday, confirming that the deportees first arrived in Ghana before being sent back to their home countries.
According to Mahama, a total of 14 deportees—including several Nigerians and one Gambian—landed in Ghana as part of the controversial exercise.
“A group of 14 deportees, including Nigerians and one Gambian, have already arrived in Ghana, and the government facilitated their return to their home countries,” Mahama told reporters.
He explained that the Nigerians were returned by bus, while Ghanaian authorities were still making arrangements to repatriate the Gambian national.
Mahama further revealed that Ghana had reached an understanding with Washington to temporarily accept West African nationals deported from the U.S., stressing that regional protocols made such transfers smoother.
“We were approached by the U.S. to accept third-party nationals being removed. We agreed that West African nationals were acceptable. Citizens of ECOWAS countries don’t require visas to enter Ghana, so the arrangement was convenient,” he explained.
However, Mahama acknowledged that relations between Ghana and the U.S. had become strained. He pointed to rising tariffs on Ghanaian goods and new visa restrictions on its citizens as signs of a “tightening” in bilateral ties, though he insisted the relationship “remains positive.”
Trump’s administration aggressively pushed African and Asian governments to accept deportees as part of its immigration enforcement drive.
Human rights organizations condemned the move, arguing that deporting migrants to “third countries” where many had never lived amounted to a violation of their fundamental rights.
In recent months, the U.S. has deported five migrants to Eswatini, eight to South Sudan, and seven to Rwanda, after Kigali agreed to host up to 250 deportees under a controversial deal.
