Chaos Erupts at Accra Hotel: Immigration Officers Drag Deportees in Forced Relocation Bid
A chaotic scene played out at the VICSEM Hotel in Ogbojo, Accra, on Tuesday afternoon as Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) officers tried to forcibly remove a group of U.S. deportees from their temporary lodging.
The incident, captured in viral videos showing officers dragging a woman across the floor into a vehicle, left the returnees in distress and sparked widespread alarm.
The deportees had been staying at the hotel since their arrival, part of a humanitarian agreement between Ghana and the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The deal, outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), allows Ghana to accept its citizens deported from the U.S. without needing parliamentary approval—unlike formal treaties.
Government officials insist the arrangement is driven by compassion, responding to reports of harsh conditions faced by Ghanaians abroad. But the forceful relocation attempt raised questions about the process, with eyewitnesses describing confusion and fear among the group.
This flare-up comes amid growing political tension over the policy. The opposition Minority in Parliament has slammed the government for bypassing oversight, especially after an earlier batch of 14 deportees arrived. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa recently announced plans to receive another 40 West African deportees, intensifying the debate.
Adding fuel to the fire, human rights lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor, who represents some of the returnees, accused Ghana of acting as a risky middleman. In a social media post, he claimed the U.S. can’t deport these individuals directly to their home countries due to “genuine fear of persecution” protections. By taking them in, Ghana could be endangering lives by facilitating their onward journeys.
The government has not yet commented on the hotel incident or the lawyer’s allegations, leaving many wondering about the next steps for these vulnerable returnees.
