Private legal practitioner Amanda Clinton has weighed in on the shocking detention of Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The former minister, who oversaw Ghana’s economy for seven years, was reportedly taken into custody in New York earlier this week over what US authorities describe as “visa-related irregularities”.
Speaking on the legal implications of the arrest in a commentary, the Head of Chambers of Clinton Consultancy, Ms Clinton, expressed surprise that a high-profile figure with Mr. Ofori-Atta’s experience would choose the United States as a destination if his immigration standing was at all precarious.
She noted that the U.S. system is notoriously efficient when it comes to deporting individuals flagged for administrative offences.
“So easy to deport on ICE-related offences, America is the last place I would have expected him to go to because of possible deportation, albeit the best medical place. Cuba, for instance, it would have been hard to deport,” Ms Clinton remarked on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
Her comments highlight a classic legal catch-22.
While the U.S. offers world-class medical facilities—often sought by the former minister for his well-documented health challenges—it also possesses one of the world’s most aggressive immigration enforcement frameworks.
Ms. Clinton’s reference to Cuba underscores a strategic geopolitical reality.
Unlike the United States, Cuba does not have an active, streamlined extradition or deportation treaty with many Western-aligned nations for administrative or political offences.
Historically, Cuba has served as a sanctuary for individuals seeking to avoid the reach of U.S. law enforcement.
By choosing New York over Havana, Mr Ofori-Atta essentially placed himself within the lion’s den of federal jurisdiction, where ICE holds broad discretionary powers to detain non-citizens.
The detention comes at a sensitive time for the former minister.
Since leaving office, Mr Ofori-Atta has faced intense scrutiny regarding his role in Ghana’s debt restructuring and the $1.4 billion Eurobond settlement of 2025, as well as his alleged involvement in multiple corruption-related offences and a scheme that resulted in substantial financial losses to the state.
For these reasons, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is seeking to extradite Mr Ofori-Atta for him to respond to ongoing investigations.
While there is no evidence that the ICE detention is linked to his prior work in government, the optics have created a firestorm in Accra.
Sources close to the Ofori-Atta family suggest that legal teams in both Washington D.C., and Accra are working to resolve the paperwork issue.
However, under current U.S. policy, visa overstays or status violations can lead to immediate placement in removal proceedings, regardless of the individual’s prior diplomatic standing.
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