Trump Deports Nigerians, Others To Ghana

The United States President Donald Trump has carried out his earlier threat to deport Nigerians, who are among the over 14 West Africans reportedly deported to Ghana from the US, as President Donald Trump intensifies his renewed immigration crackdown.

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama disclosed this on Wednesday, stressing that the 14 deportees, who included Nigerians and a Gambian, arrived in Ghana earlier in the week.

He noted that Ghana agreed with the US Government to facilitate the deportees’ onward journey, adding that his country accepted West African deportees “because all West Africans do not need visas to come to Ghana.”

Under the US government of Trump’s third-country deportation programme, the Ghanaian leader said the Nigerians were sent back home by bus. At the same time, arrangements are being made for the Gambians’ return.

He also noted that relations between Ghana and the United States had faltered following tariff hikes on Ghanaian goods and new visa restrictions, though ties remain broadly positive.

The Nigerian Government had vehemently opposed the  U.S. attempts to force  African nations to accept third-country migrants. It maintained that it would only accept its citizens and not deportees from other countries.

The Trump administration has become consistent in the deportation of  African nationals and beyond. Five people were deported to Eswatini in July and eight to South Sudan.

In August,  Rwanda accepted seven deportees after signing a deal with Washington to receive up to 250 migrants.

Panama, Sudan, and Uganda were among the countries that received deportees from the US.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the European countries are planning similar action against Nigerians and other Africans, in a widening policy that will only make things worse for Africans, especially Nigerians, even after a raft of visa restrictions imposed on visa applicants to the US.

As of Thursday’s report filing, the Nigerian government had not yet issued an official statement on the latest development.

However, there is very little the Nigerian Government can do about this alarming situation.