The US Embassy in Accra on Friday explained that the Ghanaians and Liberians, who have been deported from the United States, were convicted of various offenses, including possession of drugs and domestic violence.

"Under US law, both non-immigrants and immigrants can lose their legal status as a result of criminal convictions and can be rendered deportable under US immigration law," said a statement from the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Accra.

According to Ghana News Agency, a total of 55 people, made up of 24 Ghanaians and 31 Liberians, arrived in Accra on Thursday after the US Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had deported them.

The chartered commercial flight that brought the Ghanaians continued to Liberia with the deported Liberians.

The statement said in support of this repatriation, a member of the Ghana Diplomatic Corps stationed at the Ghana Consulate in New York City interviewed the 24 Ghanaians prior to the aircraft's departure and accompanied the flight to Accra to ensure that the deportees' travel documents were in order.

The statement said there was an automatic 10-year bar against deported aliens from legally re-entering the United States, adding that re-entry after being formally deported was a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Some of the deported Ghanaians, who said they were legally resident in the United States, claimed they had not been allowed to contact their families in the United States. They were also not informed of their deportation.

Source: Xinhua