Ghanaian Man After 30 Years in US To Be Deported for Lying To Obtain Green Card, Story Evokes Sorrow
- A Ghanaian man has sent social media into a frenzy after news of his plight in the U.S. went viral
- This comes as he lost an appeal seeking forgiveness after it was discovered that he lied to obtain a green card
- Netizens who flooded the comments section of the video have shared varied opinions on the issue
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Fordjour, a Ghanaian man who has been in the U.S. for three decades, is now set for deportation to his home country.
This comes after the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the highest administrative court for applying and interpreting U.S. immigration laws, ruled against him in his quest to continue living in the country.
Source: Getty Images
It all began in 1995 when Fordjour left Ghana for the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa.
In 2002, he married a U.S. citizen who petitioned for a green card on his behalf, helping him secure permanent residency.
However, Fordjour had a long-term relationship with a woman in Ghana and already had two children with her, which he hid from his American wife and from immigration officials during his green card interview.
He later divorced his American wife and married his Ghanaian lover, with whom he had the two children.
Fast forward to 2012, Fordjour attempted to become a U.S. citizen and applied for naturalization.
During the naturalization interview, it emerged that he had fathered two children while still married to the American who filed for his green card.
Following this discovery, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began the process to deport him from the U.S., arguing that he was ineligible for the green card at the time it was granted.
On realising what had happened, Fordjour applied for a special waiver at the BIA, which in some situations can forgive certain immigration fraud.
The BIA ruled that the special waiver only applies when someone first enters the U.S., and that the fraud committed by Fordjour occurred during adjustment of status while applying for the green card, not at entry.
Source: Getty Images
U.S.-based immigration lawyer Akua Poku, widely referred to as AK Poku, in reacting to the ruling, advised that everything one says during the immigration process matters.
She also stressed the importance of speaking to a qualified immigration lawyer before filing any applications.
“Guys, remember your immigration story builds over time. What you said at the embassy, at the port of entry, during adjustment of status, and even after adjustment of status during naturalization, it all connects. Even 20 or 30 years later, consult a knowledgeable immigration lawyer before filing any immigration application by yourself. Sometimes the issue isn’t today; it’s what happened years ago.”
At the time of writing this report, the post had racked up over 2,000 likes and 20 comments.
Watch the TikTok video below:
Reactions as Ghanaian man set for deportation
Netizens who commented on the post shared varied opinions.
Inno stated:
“Many will learn life lessons the hard way.”
Nana Poku indicated:
“Married and filed in 2002 and went for the AOS in 2007. That’s quite far.”
Life_with_Cindikayy asked:
“So what happens next with his case?
yaw dwarkwaa commented:
"He had an agenda all along."
Ghanaian couple in Sweden deported
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that a Ghanaian couple in Sweden had been deported.
This happened after they were found not to have met the legal requirements to work in the country and were instructed to return home.
Source: YEN.com.gh
