The Government of Ghana has dismissed claims by the US Ambassador that over 7,000 Ghanaians are due for deportation by the Donald Trump administration. Ambassador Robert Jackson made the revelation before the deportation of over 60 Ghanaians last month.

“In fact about 7000 of them are currently at different stages of the deportation process. And we are not apologetic about that,” Ambassador Jackson told the Ghanaian media in the Brong Ahafo region in April this year.

But the Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway addressing the issue Thursday stated that checks with the US government have revealed that a lesser number of Ghanaians are scheduled for deportation.

“Following claims by the US Ambassador to Ghana…that 7000 Ghanaian illegal immigrants in the US were awaiting deportation, the embassy of Ghana in Washington DC was requested to urgently confirm the claims with the relevant authorities.

“According to the mission, when the enquiry was submitted to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, they were unable to confirm whether the number of Ghanaian deportees was 7000.

“Rather the mission was informed that 180 Ghanaians were under deportation orders while additional 185 cases were at various stages of processing pending final deportation orders,” Ms. Ayorkor Botchway said.