The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has demanded that government immediately suspend the agreement with the United States to receive deportees of West African origin.
President Mahama at his media encounter on Wednesday, September 10 announced that government has accepted to receive deportees of West African origin from United States. The President further added that an initial batch 0f 14 deportees have already been received in Ghana and transported to their home country upon their request.
In a statement issued by the Minority Caucus on Friday, September 12, 2025, Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Jinapor explained that the decision by the government is a breach of the constitution and raises “serious” concerns about the country’s sovereignty and foreign policies.
The Minority argued that Article 75 of the constitution mandates the President to lay any treaty, agreement, or convention before Parliament for ratification by the House before it is executed. This, they say was not done with this agreement by government with the US to accept West African deportees.
Therefore, the Caucus wants government to halt the agreement until Parliament has duly exercised its constitutional mandate to ratify the deal.
“We call on the Government to suspend, with immediate effect, the unconstitutional implementation of this agreement,” the statement said.
The Minority also wants government to provide full clarity on the processes, safeguards, and other broader implications associated with receiving these deportees, including the measures that have been taken to protect Ghana’s security interests.
They called on government not to execute any agreement in future unless it is ratified by Parliament.
“Finally, we demand that no future agreements of this nature be implemented without prior ratification by Parliament, in strict compliance with the dictates of our constitution,” the Minority added.
“Beyond this blatant constitutional breach, the agreement raises pressing concerns of sovereignty, security, and policy,” the statement noted.
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, the Minority urged government to disclose when exactly this agreement was reached with the United States, and further clarify whether it has been duly laid before Parliament and ratified in accordance with Article 75 of the Constitution.
According to the Minority, the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement concerns voluntary travel, not forced deportations orchestrated by a non-ECOWAS State.
Raising concerns about the negative implications of this deal on Ghana, the Caucus said the decision to serve as a receiving point for West African deportees from the United States risks Ghana being perceived as aligning itself with the US Government’s current immigration enforcement regime, one which they say has been deemed harsh and discriminatory.
