{"id":102876,"date":"2025-11-11T18:44:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T18:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102876"},"modified":"2025-11-11T18:44:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T18:44:43","slug":"tension-in-ogbojo-immigration-officials-attempt-forcible-removal-of-us-deportees-from-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102876","title":{"rendered":"Tension in Ogbojo: Immigration officials attempt forcible removal of US deportees from hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>1 Minute, 55 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><div>\n<p>A dramatic and tense situation unfolded at the VICSEM Hotel in Ogbojo, Accra, on Tuesday afternoon, November 11, 2025, as Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) officials attempted to forcibly remove a group of deportees recently repatriated from the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that the effort to relocate the deportees, who are part of an ongoing arrangement between the U.S. government under President Donald Trump and Ghana, generated confusion and significant distress among the returnees.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GHG-1.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n<p>Immigration officials were spotted in viral videos dragging a woman on the floor into a waiting vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>The intention of their action is not clear but the attempted removal suggests officials were trying to move the individuals from the hotel facility where they were initially accommodated upon arrival.<\/p>\n<p>The incident highlights the sensitive nature of Ghana\u2019s agreement to receive its citizens deported from the U.S.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Video-2025-11-11-at-17.24.40_0b98ea00.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n<p>The current group arrived as part of a deal governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Crucially, the government maintains that this arrangement is legally binding but does not require parliamentary ratification, distinguishing it from treaties or defence agreements.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Video-2025-11-11-at-17.24.42_1f97c739-1.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n<p>Ghana\u2019s decision to accept the deportees has been publicly framed as being driven purely by humanitarian concerns, responding to reports of harsh treatment and poor conditions faced by deportees from abroad.<\/p>\n<p>The confrontation at the hotel comes amid heightened political scrutiny over the repatriation policy.<\/p>\n<p>The government had previously faced sharp criticism from the Minority in Parliament following the earlier acceptance of a group of 14 deportees.<\/p>\n<p>The Minority accused government officials of attempting to sidestep parliamentary approval for the controversial arrangement.<\/p>\n<p>This apprehension is compounded by the recent announcement from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that Ghana was expecting an additional 40 West African deportees from the United States.<\/p>\n<p>In a related development, a human rights lawyer and legal representative to some of the deportees, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, is alleging that Ghana is now facilitating the return of these individuals to their home countries, where their lives are at risk.<\/p>\n<p>Barker-Vormawor\u2019s post highlights that the U.S. government cannot legally deport these individuals directly to their home countries because they have been \u201cgranted protection\u201d based on a \u201cgenuine fear of persecution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By accepting them, Ghana essentially becomes an intermediary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"102876\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-2\" post-id=\"102876\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sad.svg\" alt=\"Sad\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sad                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-3\" post-id=\"102876\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/excited.svg\" alt=\"Excited\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Excited                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-6\" post-id=\"102876\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sleepy.svg\" alt=\"Sleepy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sleepy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-4\" post-id=\"102876\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/angry.svg\" alt=\"Angry\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Angry<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-5\" post-id=\"102876\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/surprise.svg\" alt=\"Surprise\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Surprise<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Dep-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Tension in Ogbojo: Immigration officials attempt forcible removal of US deportees from hotel\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tension in Ogbojo: Immigration officials attempt forcible removal of US deportees from hotel\">A tense scene unfolded at VICSEM Hotel in Ogbojo this afternoon as immigration officials reportedly attempted to forcibly move a group of Ghanaian deportees recently returned from the United States.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12336,8567,536,12337,1883,117,10,9,1887,2286,2044],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-administration","category-deportee","category-ghana","category-ghanan","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular","category-top-story","category-trump","category-us"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=102876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=102876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=102876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=102876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}