Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has led a delegation from the Ghana Embassy to visit Ghanaians detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the US state of Pennsylvania, as part of efforts to provide support and reassurance during the festive season.
The visit took place at an ICE detention centre in the Philadelphia area, operated through a partnership between ICE and private prison companies, principally the GEO Group. The GEO Group manages several large-scale immigration detention facilities across the United States, including the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, west of Philadelphia, which houses a significant number of ICE detainees. ICE pays private operators per-bed, per-day rates to manage accommodation, food services and healthcare for detainees.
Upon arrival, Ambassador Smith received a briefing indicating that the facility currently holds 11 Ghanaian nationals, including one woman. The detainees have been held for varying periods, ranging from two weeks to as long as ten months.
The Ambassador said the purpose of the visit was to assess the treatment and health of the detainees, listen to their concerns, and offer encouragement as immigration processes between Ghana and the United States continue.
Addressing the detainees, Mr Smith described Christmas as a season traditionally spent with family and loved ones, noting that it was painful to know that some Ghanaians would be spending the period in detention and away from home. He said, however, that the detainees appeared physically well and in stable health.
Acknowledging the uncertainty many face, particularly those who may be deported and required to rebuild their lives in Ghana, the Ambassador urged them to remain positive and hopeful.
“I know this is a very difficult moment for those being held here, and I want them and their families to know that they are not forgotten,” Mr Smith said. “Our government understands the human pain involved and approaches this situation with compassion and dignity.”
He added that challenges faced in detention do not define a person’s future, stressing that opportunities exist for returning citizens under the Mahama administration’s reset agenda. He encouraged detainees to view Ghana as home and a place where they could start afresh with dignity.
The visit forms part of the Ambassador’s broader plan to engage and support Ghanaians across the American diaspora.