US immigration lawyer Jonelle Ocloo says the detention of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not a routine immigration matter.

She cited his profile and the FBI's reported involvement.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Ms Ocloo said she was drawing on more than two decades of experience in US immigration law.

“I have been a US immigration lawyer for over 20 years now, and I can speak to what is typically done for detained cases and deportation cases, but if I can say clearly, as the ambassador has stated, Mr Ofori-Atta’s case is clearly not a typical one,” she said.

She explained that what sets the case apart is Mr Ofori-Atta’s standing and the level of legal representation he has secured.

“It’s the fact that he’s a high-profile personality, a former minister in the Ghanaian government,” she said.

Ms Ocloo said comparisons with ordinary immigration detainees do not apply in this instance.

“He’s not your regular Ghanaian in detention,” she said, adding that the nature of his legal team also signals that the case will be fiercely contested.

“He has really lawyered up. He is really lawyered up,” she said.

“When you see the lawyers that he’s hired, you know former American AG, that is an indication of somebody who is not going easily,” she added.

Ms Ocloo referenced statistics suggesting that most detainees eventually face deportation, but said those figures rarely apply to cases of this nature.

“When you mentioned the statistic about 99% of the people who go into detention end up deported, trust me, less than you know 00, point whatever per cent have a former American AG as their lawyer,” she said.

She said the reported involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation further distinguishes the case from routine immigration matters.

“It does,” she said when asked if FBI involvement changes anything.

“To me, it’s an indication that this isn’t simply about a visa overstay,” she added.

Ms Ocloo said ordinary overstays usually do not attract that level of federal attention.

“If it was just a visa overstay, you know this visa revocation overstay, I dealt with a number of cases with, say, international students, maybe who had their student visa revoked, that sort of thing,” she said.

She said the FBI’s role points to a more complex legal context.

“But no, I feel that the fact that the FBI was involved is an indication of what was said previously, that this had to do with the extradition request, okay, and that that is why the FBI is involved,” she said.

Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team has confirmed that he is currently in ICE custody and cooperating with US authorities.

In a statement, the lawyers said the former finance minister has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a legal process that allows an individual to remain in the United States beyond the validity of an initial visa.

They said efforts are ongoing to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.