The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has firmly denied reports that Ghana will receive Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national targeted for deportation by the United States.

International media outlets reported on October 10, 2025, that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security intends to deport Abrego Garcia to Ghana, according to a notice to his attorneys. Previously, DHS had floated plans to deport him to Eswatini or Uganda.

Reacting via a Facebook post, Ablakwa clarified that Ghana is not accepting Abrego Garcia, and that this position has been “directly and unambiguously conveyed to US authorities.”

He stressed that Ghana’s agreement with the U.S. to receive non-Ghanaian West Africans was limited to non-criminals, grounded solely in solidarity and humanitarian considerations, an agreement he said will not be expanded.

"Ghana is not accepting Abrego Garcia. He cannot be deported to Ghana. This has been directly and unambiguously conveyed to US authorities. In my interactions with US officials, I made clear that our understanding to accept a limited number of non-criminal West Africans, purely on the grounds of African solidarity and humanitarian principles, would not be expanded. Ghana strongly objects to these misleading media reports," the minister stated.

The government has faced some criticism in recent times for accepting some West African nationals deported by the United States into the country.

Read Also: Deportation deal with the US doesn’t undermine Ghana’s sovereignty – Mahama assures

Background on Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March 2025, despite a 2019 U.S. court order that shielded him from removal due to credible threats he would face gang-related persecution if sent back to El Salvador.

His deportation was later acknowledged by U.S. authorities as an “administrative error,” and he was returned to the U.S. in June 2025 following court orders. Upon return, he was indicted in Tennessee on human smuggling charges. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

His legal team argues that these charges may be vindictive, given the timing and context of his deportation lawsuit. A U.S. judge has allowed his legal challenge to the deportation to proceed.

His asylum request was rejected by a U.S. court, but he retains the right to appeal.