Ghana rejects high-profile Salvadoran migrant amid U.S. deportation controversy

The Trump administration is facing mounting diplomatic setbacks as it scrambles to find an African nation willing to accept Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a high-profile deportee originally from El Salvador.

According to Politico, efforts to persuade Uganda and Eswatini to receive Abrego have collapsed, while Ghana, once a key U.S. ally on migration cooperation has firmly refused to comply.

Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, made it clear on X that the country would not accept Abrego under any circumstances, calling media reports suggesting otherwise “misleading.”

He added, “Ghana is not accepting Abrego Garcia. He cannot be deported to Ghana. This has been directly and unambiguously conveyed to U.S. authorities.” Ablakwa further noted that Ghana’s prior willingness to accept “a limited number of non-criminal West Africans” was based solely on humanitarian grounds and would not be expanded.

Ghana’s stance marks a sharp departure from its previous cooperation with Washington on migration enforcement.

Under earlier arrangements, Ghana accepted a small number of deportees from the U.S., primarily West Africans, as part of what both sides described as a “solidarity and humanitarian framework.”

In return, Ghana benefited from strengthened bilateral relations, including improved travel privileges for Ghanaian citizens and relaxed U.S. visa processing measures, a rare incentive granted to an African partner in migration management.

However, that goodwill appears to be fading. Ghana’s latest decision signals a growing unease among African nations over what some view as coercive deportation tactics by Washington.

Across the continent, resistance is mounting. Uganda and Eswatini, both approached by U.S. officials as potential destinations for Abrego, reportedly declined the request in recent days, further complicating Washington’s deportation plans.

African governments have increasingly voiced discomfort with being drawn into U.S. immigration enforcement, especially in cases unrelated to their nationals.

Abrego, who lived in Maryland for over a decade before his arrest, was deported to El Salvador in March, only for a U.S. court to declare that removal illegal due to fears of persecution by local gangs.

The Trump administration subsequently returned him to the U.S. in June, but federal prosecutors have since charged him with human smuggling in Tennessee, charges he denies.

As the U.S. continues to search for a willing host nation, the Abrego case has become a flashpoint, highlighting Africa’s growing assertiveness in rejecting unilateral U.S. deportation demands and the limits of Washington’s leverage on migration diplomacy.