The Minority in Parliament has raised strong objections to revelations that Ghana is serving as a receiving point for deportees from the United States. According to the caucus, the arrangement is unconstitutional and undermines the country’s sovereignty.
The controversy follows President John Mahama’s disclosure at his maiden media encounter that 14 individuals had already been flown into Accra under the arrangement. The President clarified that most of the deportees were Nigerians, with one Gambian among them.
Explaining the rationale, President Mahama stated: “We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US, and then we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable, because all our fellow West Africans don’t need a visa to come to our country. So if they decided to travel from the US to Accra, they don’t need a visa anyway. So if you are bringing our colleague West Africans back, that’s okay.”
But the Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee insists the deal violates Article 75 of the Constitution. In a statement signed by Ranking Member Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, the group argued that “any treaty, agreement, or convention executed by or under the authority of the President must be laid before Parliament and ratified.”
They cited Supreme Court rulings in Banful v Attorney General and Brogya Gyamfi v Attorney General as precedents, stressing that the arrangement with Washington falls within that requirement. The caucus also drew parallels with the controversial decision to host two Yemeni ex-detainees from Guantanamo Bay, which was ruled unconstitutional.
Beyond legality, the Minority expressed concern that Ghana could be perceived as aligning with the U.S. immigration enforcement agenda, a system critics describe as harsh and discriminatory. They warned that such an association might tarnish Ghana’s reputation for principled diplomacy and non-alignment.
The caucus demanded immediate answers on when the agreement was reached, whether Parliament was consulted, and what security measures have been put in place. “The Ghanaian people deserve transparency and accountability on a matter that so directly implicates our sovereignty, our constitutional order, and our foreign policy,” the statement said.
Calling for a halt, the Minority urged the government to suspend the arrangement until Parliament has exercised its constitutional mandate. “We will continue to hold the Government accountable in the conduct of foreign policy and in all matters affecting the welfare and sovereignty of our people,” Jinapor concluded.
