THE US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced that it will stop issuing some visas to citizens of Ghana, following the government’s refusal to take back citizens the US has tried to deport.

“Ghana has failed to live up to its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said.

“The United States routinely cooperates with foreign governments in documenting and accepting US citizens when asked, as appropriate, as do the majority of countries in the world, but Ghana has failed to do so in this case. We hope the Ghanaian government will work with us to reconcile these deficiencies quickly.”

Nielsen asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to sanction visas this week, and the top diplomat instructed US consular officers in Ghana to impose visa restrictions on certain categories of applicants, which the DHS statement did not specify. – Punch

– Feb. 1, 2019 @ 12:49 GMT |