United States imposes visa restrictions on Ghana

Image courtesy: Reuters

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Thursday it was imposing visa restrictions on Ghana, accusing the African country of not cooperating in accepting its citizens ordered removed from the United States.

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "has ordered consular officers in Ghana to implement visa restrictions on certain categories of visa applicants," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.

In September 2017, the United States imposed visa sanctions on Guinea, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, and Cambodia for the same reason.

"Without an appropriate response from Ghana, the scope of these sanctions may be expanded to a wider population," the statement said. "Ghana has failed to live up to its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States," said DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said.

"We hope the Ghanaian government will work with us to reconcile these deficiencies quickly," she said.