Ghana Immigration Service Arrests Undocumented Immigrants and Beggars in Accra Crackdown

• The Ghana Immigration Service deployed two buses to patrol Accra and arrest undocumented immigrants and beggars on August 29, 2026
• Officers filmed boarding individuals at multiple locations, with some women initially resisting arrest before being compelled onto the buses
• The operation has drawn public support from Ghanaians who are calling on the GIS to sustain the exercise and adopt tougher long-term measures

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has launched a targeted crackdown on undocumented immigrants and street beggars across Accra and other parts of the country, deploying officers in buses to conduct arrests in multiple locations.

Footage of the operation, which circulated widely on social media and was sighted by GhanaWeb on 29 August 2026, showed immigration officers aboard two buses stopping at areas where beggars were gathered and ordering them to board with their possessions.

Immigration officers conduct street-level arrests

At several points during the operation, individuals were directed to collect their belongings and enter the buses. A number of women who refused to comply were ultimately compelled by officers to board, as bystanders watched the scenes unfold.

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The crackdown comes against a backdrop of mounting concern among residents and public officials over the growing concentration of beggars on Accra's streets, a situation that has increasingly been linked to broader security challenges in the city.

Public support grows for sustained action

The exercise has attracted praise from sections of the Ghanaian public and various stakeholders, many of whom have called on the Immigration Service to keep the operations running and, critically, to pursue more durable structural solutions rather than periodic sweeps.

Supporters of the initiative argue that one-off enforcement actions are insufficient and have urged the GIS to adopt firmer, longer-term policies to address what many describe as a worsening situation on the streets of the capital.

The Ghana Immigration Service had not issued a formal public statement on the scope or duration of the operation at the time of publishing.

Reactions as Immigration officers arrest undocument immigrants

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Some social media users and influencers have shared mixed reactions after bloggers posted the video on the X platform. YEN.com.gh has compiled some reactions below:

@Cherry777966092 stated:

I hope this is not optics because we called out the Minster of interior and the

@Gha_Immigration

"This exercise must be carried out all the the country and not just Accra."

@_King_Agorkorli stated:

"When South Africa did same you guys were complaining I’m not saying it’s wrong tho."

@Ignitionaway stated:

"They should come over to Ashaiman where I believe thise people are being shielded by some faceless entities in higher authority."

QueenLight stated:

"SHAME on us. Do you see that these are YOUNG vulnerable girls and children? Instead of targeting the ADULTS these children. You are just catching them to basically throw away. With no protection! We have no humanity. What have you achieved by doing this?."

@nyanyeraa stated:

"This is not effective of you'll still let them in under so called Ecowas protocol."

@Stephen_Ankrah_ stated:

"They are the same people that led them in. They should let us think, don't they get to the border before they get in ? Who is guarding our borders? The same people ."

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The X video is below:

Source: YEN.com.gh