Meet the 32 Ghanaians on US ‘worst of the worst’ crime list facing deportation

• The US Department of Homeland Security has listed 32 Ghanaians in its "worst of the worst" criminal aliens database for individuals facing deportation.

• The listed offences include fraud, shoplifting, domestic violence, weapons-related crimes, child cruelty, and credit card offences.

• The development comes amid increased US immigration enforcement, with hundreds of Ghanaians arrested and deported in recent years.

The database, hosted by DHS and managed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), contains the names and photographs of non-citizens convicted of various offences and currently subject to immigration enforcement action.

Among those listed are 32 Ghanaians, whose alleged offences range from shoplifting and fraud to domestic violence, weapons-related crimes, child cruelty, and illegal use of credit cards.

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They form part of a broader group of at least 355 West Africans from several countries, including Liberia and Cameroon, who have been flagged for removal.

The publication comes amid heightened immigration enforcement under the administration of Donald Trump. According to DHS data, 478 Ghanaians were arrested by ICE in 2025.

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As of October 2025, approximately 2,470 Ghanaian nationals were being held in U.S. detention facilities pending deportation, one of the highest figures recorded for the country.

Data also shows that 312 Ghanaians were deported to Accra between January and August 2025, representing a 17% increase compared with the same period in 2024.

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The increase in arrests and removals has been linked to stricter immigration enforcement measures, including the Global Enforcement Initiative launched in April 2025 and an executive order issued in February 2025 prioritising the removal of individuals with criminal convictions or those considered national security risks.

However, U.S. immigration authorities note that an ICE arrest does not automatically result in deportation, as each case is subject to further legal and administrative review.

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