Ghana Shuts Door on US Deportation Bid: 'We Won't Accept Abrego Garcia' - Foreign Minister Ablakwa
Accra ,Ghana – October 10,2025 - Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has issued a strong statement denying reports that the country would accept Abrego Garcia for deportation. In a post on his Facebook page, Ablakwa emphasized that Ghana will not accept Garcia and has directly communicated this to US authorities.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran national who has been at the center of a high-profile immigration case in the United States. He's a 30-year-old construction worker from Maryland who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March 2025, despite having a court order protecting him from removal. Abrego Garcia claims he fled El Salvador as a teenager to escape gang threats.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) earlier said it now plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Ghana, according to a notice from the agency to his attorneys.
DHS previously said it was planning to deport Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador and then brought back to the U.S., to Eswatini and Uganda.
Abrego Garcia was granted withholding of removal status in 2019, allowing him to live and work in the US. He was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March 2025, despite a court order protecting him. Abrego Garcia was brought back to the US in June 2025, after a Supreme Court ruling that the government must facilitate his return.
Ablakwa in his post explained that Ghana's agreement to accept a limited number of West African deportees from the US was grounded in African solidarity and humanitarian principles. However, he stressed that this understanding was not meant to include individuals with criminal backgrounds or those who pose a threat to Ghana's security.
The Minister assured the public that a rigorous vetting process is in place to ensure that only eligible individuals are allowed into the country. "We have put in place strict safeguards to ensure that convicted hardened criminals cannot be brought into our country under this understanding," he said.
Ablakwa reiterated Ghana's commitment to upholding humanitarian principles and providing refuge to those in need. However, he emphasized that this commitment does not extend to individuals who pose a threat to the country's security or stability.
The Trump administration plans to deport him to Uganda, a country he has no connection to. Abrego Garcia's case has sparked controversy, with many criticizing the Trump administration's handling of his deportation and questioning the government's motives.
Source – Lead News Online/Robert Israel
