Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/ghana-trump-deportees-west-africa-migrants-c8b338d04dad5101420cfa312481d646
Ghana has received 14 West Africans deported from the US, joining Eswatini, Rwanda, and South Sudan in accepting such migrants. President John Mahama said the group included Nigerian and Gambian nationals who plan to return to their own countries, noting that Ghana agreed to accept them since West Africans don’t need visas to enter. The move comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies its crackdown on immigration, targeting people who overstayed visas or are labeled criminals. The policy has drawn criticism from lawyers and activists, who question its legality and raise concerns about the conditions faced by deportees. Noting Eswatini, where five men remain jailed without charge after being deported in July.
I worry about the treatment of these deportees considering the cases like Eswatini this last summer, and I criticize the Trump administration for allowing them to be deported to Ghana without ensuring that they will be treated fairly. Deporting people to countries already facing economic, political and social issues seems unfair, and these people were just seeking a more advantageous place to live. It seems like the US is taking advantage of the countries that are less able to push back against pressure, and I could see Ghana becoming a “dumping ground” for deportees since US ties with other West African countries haven’t always been the best.
If this continues to happen, the Ghanaian government might become dismissive of the needs of deportees or even, like Eswatini. Additionally, the deportees’ home countries could also refuse to allow them back in the country or even punish them when they return. I would like to see the UN ensure that deportees are treated fairly and can return home safely.
Extreme poverty in some African countries causes mass amounts of migration, making it a global issue. Countries like the US and the UK have since tightened their foreign policies with immigration. We see this becoming a broader issue as other countries are becoming involved in the process of returning the deportees home.