A total of 2,470 Ghanaian nationals are currently being held in detention facilities across the United States awaiting deportation, according to new figures from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The number represents one of the highest on record for Ghana and underscores the growing impact of the Biden administration’s tougher immigration enforcement measures.
The data shows that 478 Ghanaians have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in 2025 alone — a sharp escalation in removals linked to the Global Enforcement Initiative, a sweeping policy introduced in April to accelerate deportations worldwide.
312 Ghanaians deported so far in 2025
Between January and August 2025, 312 Ghanaians were deported from the U.S. to Accra, representing a 17% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
DHS officials confirmed that most of the deportees were returned for criminal convictions, immigration violations, or visa overstays.
The figure marks one of the sharpest year-on-year increases in nearly a decade.
Between 2018 and 2023, annual deportations of Ghanaians typically ranged from 200 to 250 — well below the current rate.
On August 28, 2025, a DHS-chartered aircraft landed at Kotoka International Airport carrying 42 Ghanaian nationals, the latest in a series of repatriation flights organized by U.S. immigration authorities.
The flight forms part of a broader effort to clear a growing backlog of cases from U.S. detention centres.
Policy shifts fuel record arrests and removals
The surge in arrests and deportations has been attributed to two major policy developments.
The first is the Global Enforcement Initiative, launched in April 2025, which expanded ICE’s capacity to pursue removals across multiple regions.
The second is a February 2025 executive order that prioritized deportations for individuals with criminal records and those flagged as national security risks.
However, rights advocates argue that the new framework casts too wide a net, capturing long-term residents, overstayers, and low-level offenders who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years.
ICE has defended the crackdown, emphasizing that all removals follow due process and court orders.
Potential diplomatic and humanitarian fallout
Under U.S. law, specifically Section 241(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the government can deport individuals to their home country, the last country they boarded from, or any country willing to accept them.
Ghana faces reintegration challenge
Migration experts say the rising number of deportees will place additional pressure on Ghana’s limited reintegration systems.
“If current trends continue, Ghana could receive nearly 500 deportees by the end of 2025 — the highest in over a decade.
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) says it is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Interior Ministry to strengthen arrival procedures and ensure deportees are treated with dignity.
A rising tide of forced returns
The latest wave of deportations comes amid a broader global tightening of immigration policies.
For many of the Ghanaians detained by ICE — some of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades — the fear of deportation has become an everyday reality.
For now, 2,470 Ghanaians remain in ICE custody, awaiting decisions that will determine whether they return home — voluntarily or in handcuffs.
The rising deportation numbers have become both a diplomatic and humanitarian test for Ghana and the United States, as both nations grapple with the consequences of global migration enforcement in an era of political pressure and tightening borders.
