Ken Ofori-Atta: ICE Confirms Former Finance Minister Overstayed Visa, Describes Him as Illegal Alien
- The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has delivered a harsh clarification on Ken Ofori-Atta's status in the US
- Ofori-Atta has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement over immigration status issues
- The former finance minister declined to meet with Ghana's embassy in the US without his lawyers after news of his detention broke
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unit has described Ghana’s former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as an illegal alien who has overstayed his permitted admission.
ICE added that the former Finance Minister’s conduct amounts to a violation of US immigration law, which could result in deportation.
Source: Getty Images
3News reported that an ICE spokesperson provided this clarification, saying his visa had an expiration date of November 27, 2025.
“Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta is an illegal alien from Ghana who is facing corruption and corruption-related charges in his home country. He entered the United States on May 28, 2025, on a visitor’s visa with an expiration date of Nov. 27, 2025. Ofori-Atta overstayed his permitted admission.”
“The Trump administration has been abundantly clear: aliens must respect our laws or face the consequences. Overstaying a visa is an immigration law violation that can result in deportation.”
ICE noted that Ofori-Atta will remain in custody as he is taken through the due process of law.
When was Ken Ofori-Atta detained?
ICE detained Ofori-Atta on January 7, with his lawyers saying the detention resulted from challenges regarding the status of Ofori-Atta’s continued stay in the US.
Ofori-Atta declined to meet with Ghana's consular officers in the US without his lawyers when his detention became public, according to an embassy statement on Facebook.
This notwithstanding, the ambassador said his outfit will ensure that Ofori-Atta's rights are respected.
How Ken Ofori-Atta was arrested
According to Ghanaian investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ofori-Atta was arrested around 11 am on January 6, 2026, when he stepped out of his apartment in the Westlight building, a high-end residential complex located at 1111 24th Street in Northwest Washington, DC.
The former Finance Minister lived in the apartment with his wife and son.
The Westlight building is situated in one of Washington, DC’s most affluent neighbourhoods, about a 20-minute walk from the White House, and is known to house prominent personalities.
According to Manasseh, the arrest of the former Finance Minister seemed like a targeted operation since it didn't look like the typical mass arrest carried out in public places.
Push to bring Ofori-Atta to Ghana
There are currently attempts to extradite Ofori-Atta to face prosecution for alleged corruption.
The Special Prosecutor is leading efforts to extradite him from the US, as he is being investigated for alleged corruption in five different cases.
Source: Getty Images
The special prosecutor formally charged the former minister on November 18 in the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana scandal, and is currently fighting to have an INTERPOL red notice removed.
In a statement on Facebook, the special prosecutor noted that the notice had been redacted from public view because of a challenge from Ofori-Atta being assessed.
Clarity on Ofori-Atta's health status
YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Victor Smith, said Ofori-Atta was medically fit to be held in a detention centre before he was detained.
Ofori-Atta was in the US on medical grounds, and there were concerns about his health under ICE detention.
Smith said ICE arranged for medical personnel to assess Ofori-Atta shortly after his arrest.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
