The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) says it will continue to repatriate foreign nationals who enter the country illegally during these coronavirus times.
According to the Service, more than 1,500 ECOWAS nationals have illegally crossed Ghana’s borders since they were closed on March 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking to Citi News, Head of Public Affairs at the Immigration Service, Superintendent Michael Amoako Atta said border communities must corporate with security agencies to stop the menace.
He said, “The borders are closed. As a Service, we have the option of repatriating immediately, people who attempt to enter the country through unapproved routes, because we always say safety first. The challenge here is that if we should try to put these people within our detention centres, our officers have to interact with them by taking their statement and all that. Nobody knows their status at the point of interception and then the sudden spread of this virus will be possible.”
“So the best option for the safety and security of our officers, the border communities, and the nation is to immediately send them back to where they came from and that is what we are doing. For us, we think it is the best option. But then if we have the full support and cooperation of border community members, the fight will be an easier one,” he added.
Closure of Ghana’s borders
Ghana’s land, sea, and air borders have been closed since Sunday, March 22. Only cargo, goods and supplies are allowed into the country from other countries.
The move is part of efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country, yet some foreigners continue to illegally find their way into the country.
But since the border closure, many foreign nationals have been arrested in different parts of the country using unapproved routes to enter the country.
Most of these people, after investigations and tests, are noted to be carriers of COVID-19.
A statement issued by the Immigration Service on May 5 to notify the arrest of 18 foreigners who illegally entered the country disclosed that the Western Region alone has recorded about 190 people who have been arrested and sent back to their country.
“This [the arrest] brings the number of interceptions and repatriation of persons made by the Ghana Immigration Service in the Western Region, through intensified surveillance/patrols and with the support of the various sister security agencies to about 190, since the closure of the country’s borders,” the statement said.