Trump to Ban Ghanaian Citizens, Others From Third-World Countries From Migrating to US
- US President Donald Trump plans to halt migration from third-world countries to the US
- Trump's announcement came a day after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two members of the National Guard
- The US also suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans following the shooting incident
US President Donald Trump has said he will permanently pause migration to America from Ghana and all other third-world countries.
The US president wrote in a Truth Social post that the decision would "allow the US system to fully recover" from immigration policies.
Source: Getty Images
BBC reported that he maintains that these policies have eroded the "gains and living conditions" of many Americans.
Trump, however, did not provide details of his plan or name which countries that might be affected.
Trump's comments came a day after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two members of the National Guard in Washington DC, one of whom has died.
Trump previously said Wednesday's shooting in Washington DC underlined a major national security threat and promised to take steps to remove any foreigner "from any country who does not belong here".
The same day, the US suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, saying the decision was made pending a review of "security and vetting protocols".
Then on Thursday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would re-examine green cards issued to individuals who migrated to the US from 19 countries.
When asked by the BBC which countries were on the list, the agency pointed to a June proclamation by the White House that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.
There were no further details about what the re-examination would look like.
US Visa ban threat to Ghana
In June, the Trump administration considered restricting Ghanaians from travelling to the US, along with 35 other nationalities.
At the time, over 20 African nations were facing visa bans or other restrictions.
Source: Getty Images
The Washington Post reported that a State Department memo was sent to US diplomats who work with the countries.
Before that, Togo was among 19 countries slapped with travel restrictions by the Trump administration.
Ghana was given 60 days to meet new benchmarks and requirements established by the State Department.
The US was concerned that some countries don't have competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents.
The US was also concerned about widespread government fraud in those countries.
Others had large numbers of citizens who overstayed their visas in the United States, the memo said.
The memo also stated that if a country was willing to accept third-country nationals who were removed from the US or enter a “safe third country” agreement, it could mitigate other concerns.
Ghana has since started accepting deportees from the US.
Trump removes 15% tariff on Ghanaian exports
YEN.com.gh reported that the 15% tariff imposed on Ghana’s cocoa and selected agricultural exports to the US has been fully removed.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said US diplomats formally communicated the decision to Ghana’s Mission in Washington, D.C.
Ablakwa said the reversal took effect on November 13, 2025, following the signing of a new Executive Order by US President Donald Trump.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
