The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Porter Jackson, has blamed the impending deportation of 7,000 illegal migrants from the US, on the blatant failure of the government of Ghana to resolve matters with issuance of travel documents to its travel citizens.

According to him, the failure of Ghana’s Embassy to identify and interview its migrant citizens on a regular basis and issue the necessary travel documents has led to the US government's resolve to using charter flights to expedite action and not a case of victimization as suggested by many.

“We do not like to use the charter flights, we only use the charter flights when we are facing a legal deadline to get people out of the United States detention facilities before they have to be released under US law.”

“What we have observed is, when we really pressure the embassy then it issues the travel document,” he disclosed.

The US Ambassador has therefore called for calm over the deportation controversies saying that the US is only seeking to enforce its immigration rules and not deliberately threatening Ghana with visa restrictions.

He further urged the government to put mechanisms in place to speed up the process of issuing travel documents on regular basis by its Embassy in Washington DC in the United States in an effort to remain in the good books of the United States government.

“The embassy has generally issued a few travel documents and then waits for months without issuing any. What we would advocate that is better for the embassy and for the US government if there are regular process of interviews and travel documents being issued,” he noted.

Ambassador Robert Jackson made the remarks at a roundtable conference with selected media personnel in Accra on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.



US not threatening visa restrictions on Ghana

The United States Embassy in a statement issued on Wednesday, June 20 indicated that the government of Ghana was not complying with international obligations regarding the issuance of travel documents to Ghanaians awaiting deportation in the USA.

The statement said the US would be forced to begin implementing visa restrictions in accordance with its laws as a responsibility owed the American people.

Some have accused the US of trying to bully Ghana by the threat, however, Ambassador Robert Jackson says the US has fairly engaged Ghana on the matter to find a lasting solution in the interest of both countries.

The Ambassador added that the US has maintained a very cordial diplomatic relation with Ghana and has always sought to deport only Ghanaian citizens who have overstayed their visas or broken US laws.



More Ghanaians to get US visas

Ambassador Jackson has reiterated that the US embassy will issue more visas to Ghanaians seeking entry into the US than it did last year.

He said the demand for US visas by Ghanaians has increased by more than 30 percent, adding that the Embassy is doing its best to meet the demand.

According to him, the Embassy issued 16,000 visas to Ghanaians in 2017.

He contends that while the US wants as many Ghanaians as possible to visit the country, it expects that they will adhere to US laws, especially in relation to immigration.