First Batch of Nigerians Deported Under Trump Leaves US, Mahama Confirms Ghana’s Role
The first group of Nigerians marked for deportation from the United States under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has now exited America.
Former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama disclosed this development to reporters late Wednesday, a detail PulseNets learnt after verifying with official sources.
Mahama told PulseNets at a press briefing, “Fourteen deportees, including several Nigerians and a Gambian national, have already arrived in Ghana, and our government stepped in to ensure they were safely returned to their respective countries.”
According to Mahama, “The Nigerians were quickly transported by bus back to their homeland, while we are still assisting the Gambian deportee to get home.”
The former president further revealed to PulseNets that, “The United States approached us to temporarily receive third-country nationals facing removal, and we accepted, provided they were West African citizens.”
He emphasised, “All our fellow West African nationals do not require visas to enter Ghana.”
Mahama described the current Ghana–US relationship as facing a “tightening climate,” pointing to increased tariffs on Ghanaian exports and recent visa restrictions on Ghanaian travellers. He clarified, however, that the overall ties between both nations remain positive despite the strains.
This move forms part of President Trump’s broader anti-immigration push. PulseNets reported earlier that Washington has been engaging several African governments to take in deportees as part of a high-profile strategy aimed at discouraging irregular migration.
Rights organisations have argued that such deportations, which have also involved citizens of Jamaica, Vietnam, and Laos, breach fundamental human rights. Several countries have pushed back, including Nigeria, which has consistently stated it would not yield to US pressure to accept third-country migrants.
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PulseNets learnt that this pattern of deportations has intensified in recent months. In July, the United States removed five individuals to Eswatini and another eight to South Sudan. Rwanda accepted seven deported migrants from America in August, weeks after the two nations agreed on a transfer framework for as many as 250 people.
