The Minority in Parliament has renewed its call on the government to submit the Ghana–United States deportee agreement to Parliament for ratification, insisting that the arrangement must undergo full legislative scrutiny in line with constitutional requirements.
The call follows a clarification by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that a Salvadoran national, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, will not be deported to Ghana.
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A recent report by U.S.-based ABC News claimed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was preparing to deport Garcia—who is facing criminal allegations—to Ghana under the existing deportee arrangement between the two countries.
Mr. Ablakwa, however, dismissed the report as inaccurate. He explained that Ghana’s understanding with the United States applies strictly to a limited number of non-criminal West African nationals accepted on humanitarian grounds, consistent with Ghana’s long-standing commitment to African solidarity.
According to him, the agreement does not cover individuals facing criminal charges or nationals from outside the West African sub-region. He further disclosed that the U.S. authorities had respected Ghana’s position and withdrawn Garcia’s deportation notice, acknowledging that he is an El Salvadoran and not a citizen of any ECOWAS member state.
While welcoming the minister’s clarification, the Minority maintained that the full details of the deportee arrangement must be made public and presented to Parliament for approval.
The caucus argued that such a move would dispel public suspicion about the nature of the agreement and reinforce Ghana’s sovereignty and constitutional integrity.
In a Facebook post on October 11, the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Samuel Abu Jinapor, observed that the minister’s statement contradicted the widely held belief that the arrangement formed part of a quid pro quo for visa concessions earlier granted to Ghana by the Trump administration.
“These and other concerns underscore the need for the highest level of transparency in the conduct of our foreign policy,” Mr. Jinapor wrote.
Citing Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution, the Minority reminded the government that all international agreements must be laid before Parliament for ratification.
“With Parliament set to reconvene on October 21, 2025, the government has a golden opportunity to fulfil this constitutional obligation,” he said, adding that doing so would promote accountability and restore public confidence in the management of Ghana’s diplomatic relations.