150 Ghanaians, including four children, have been impacted by current immigration rules in the United States of America (USA), according to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He did, however, reassure them that the government has taken steps to welcome the returns when they get to Ghana.
He stated last Thursday, while speaking on the floor of Parliament, “We will not disclose their identities because we do not want them to be stigmatised.”
According to Mr. Ablakwa, the impacted persons were diligent Ghanaians who were trying to regularize their stay in the United States and pursue better prospects when they were caught in the immigration sweep.
The Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Ministry helps the process by giving the required travel credentials, he said, while the United States government will pay for their return airfare.
Mr. Ablakwa declared that the standard 32-page passport booklet would now only cost GH¢350 instead of GH¢500 after it was purchased.
In order to alleviate the financial strain on Ghanaians, President John Dramani Mahama ordered the action, he added.
The minister said that the previous Akufo-Addo administration had raised the price from GH¢100 to GH¢500 in order to pay for printing expenses.
“This reduction is expected to lift a burden on the Ghanaian people and will not come at a cost to the state,” the minister assured.
Mr. Ablakwa emphasized that in order to get Parliament to approve the price drop, the ministry would shortly submit the required legal documents.
In order to improve security and international conformity, he also disclosed that Ghana will switch to chip-embedded passports by the middle of April 2025.
Mr. Ablakwa added that a committee would be established to supervise the changeover and guarantee a seamless phase-out of the existing booklet method.
Although the previous administration initiated the chip-embedded passport plan, he reassured that the current administration is still dedicated to seeing it through to completion.
The minister added that his organization will subsequently release further information regarding the adjustments to the passport policy and the repatriation procedure.
US President Donald Trump has issued a number of executive orders pertaining to immigration since he took office on January 20, 2025, opening the door for a broad campaign to target undocumented migrants in his nation.
President Trump has taken more than 21 steps to change various aspects of the US immigration system, such as the way that immigrants are handled and expelled from the country.
Since then, the White House has made some of these initiatives public. Trump has pledged “mass deportations” and arrests, but it’s still unclear how much of his plan would actually be carried out.
Source: newsthemegh.com