Ghana has firmly rejected claims that it is accepting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national at the center of a high-profile U.S. deportation controversy.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa clarified in a Facebook post on Friday, October 10, 2025, that Ghana “is not accepting Abrego Garcia,” describing reports suggesting otherwise as “misleading.”
“He cannot be deported to Ghana. This has been directly and unambiguously conveyed to US authorities,” Ablakwa wrote.
According to him, Ghana had already made its position clear to American officials, emphasizing that the country’s earlier decision to accept a limited number of non-criminal West African deportees was purely humanitarian and would not be expanded.
“In my interactions with US officials, I made clear that our understanding to accept a limited number of non-criminal West Africans, purely on the grounds of African solidarity and humanitarian principles would not be expanded,” he said.
He added that Ghana “strongly objects to these misleading media reports,” reaffirming that his ministry has communicated the country’s position “directly and unambiguously” to the United States.
Background
Multiple international news outlets are reporting that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Ghana, a decision that has sparked confusion and outrage among human rights advocates.
Garcia, a native of El Salvador, has lived in Maryland with his wife and children for several years. In 2019, a U.S. court ruled that he could not be deported to El Salvador due to fears of persecution.
Despite this, he was forcibly removed to the country in March 2023, in what legal experts have described as a “wrongful deportation.”
Following his deportation, Garcia was detained at the notorious CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador.
The Trump administration had accused him of being affiliated with the MS-13 gang – allegations his family and attorneys strongly deny, citing lack of evidence.
The DHS had initially considered sending Garcia to Eswatini or Uganda, but new developments reportedly shifted the focus to Ghana, a move that Ghana’s government has now categorically rejected.
Garcia’s attorneys are expected to appear in court later today for an evidentiary hearing, where government witnesses will testify on the U.S. government’s actions in the ongoing deportation saga.
The legal team insists that the attempt to deport Garcia to Ghana is “another unlawful act” in a series of rights violations against their client.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has reiterated that the West African country will not be used as a destination for deportations involving individuals with no ties to Ghana or the region.
Source: metrotvonline.com
