Madina MP Francis Xavier Sosu has downplayed fears that deportees arriving in Ghana under a new arrangement with the United States are dangerous criminals.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on September 24, the Human Rights lawyer said assumptions about the deportees must be placed in the proper context.
“Evans, like you rightly said, the reality is that it hasn’t been established that any of these people are, let’s say, some particular hardened criminals. These are breaking immigration laws. Do not necessarily make you like a hardened criminal,” Mr Sosu stated.
He argued that the circumstances of African migration must be taken into account.
“We know the circumstances under which most Africans and even Ghanaians move to live in other countries like the United States of America and the UK and so on,” he explained.
According to him, U.S. policies under Donald Trump played a major role in mass deportations.
“We know that Trump’s policy, which basically is anti-immigrants, is what has led to the mass deportations,” Mr Sosu said.
He further pointed out that international law allows deportees to be relocated to a third country when immediate return to their home state is impracticable.
“When, under international law, there is a rule that shows where you can take people to, like a third State, when it is impracticable for you to identify specifically where they are supposed to be sent to their home countries.
“Then you can have a third state which will receive all of them and process them for their home countries,” he noted.
His comments come against the backdrop of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s announcement that Cabinet has approved Ghana’s participation in a third-country deportation arrangement with the U.S.
Under the deal, Ghana will accept some West African deportees, with the Foreign Minister insisting that all individuals will undergo thorough vetting to ensure national security.