Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United States says the detention of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being treated as a high-profile case by American authorities.
Victor Smith, speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, said US officials made it clear to him that Mr Ofori-Atta’s status as a former finance minister had elevated the matter beyond a routine immigration case.
“Well, they view Ken Ofori-Atta’s case as a high-profile case, which they made very clear to me because he was an ex-Finance Minister,” he said.
He said US authorities were also aware of previous engagements involving Ghana’s Attorney-General and the extradition-related attention surrounding Mr Ofori-Atta.
“Even though there was an extradition, they knew, dealing with the Attorney General in Ghana, that this is a high-profile personality and his visa issues,” he said.
Mr Smith said that while he could not go into full details of the matter, the core issue relates to Mr Ofori-Atta’s immigration status at the time ICE acted.
“I can’t go into it because I didn’t know, but I know one thing, that if your visa expires, normally, they give you six months visa when you enter the US with a five-year B1, B2 visa,” he said.
He explained that many travellers manage their stay by exiting and re-entering the country within that period.
“My little information I had earlier on was that he travelled to the UK and came back into the US,” he said.
According to the High Commissioner, information available to him indicated that Mr Ofori-Atta’s permission to remain in the US had lapsed by late November.
“I was told that by November 29 or thereabout, his visa was no longer valid, and so it meant he was here illegally,” he said.
Mr Smith said ICE typically acts only after it is satisfied that a person no longer has legal permission to stay in the country.
“Before the ICE moves in, they are certain that you don’t have a visa in this country,” he said.
He also acknowledged that efforts may have been underway to regularise Mr Ofori-Atta’s stay, but said he could not confirm how far those processes had gone.
“His status was he did not have a visa to be in this country, but also hearing from other people he was making, they were making attempts to, if you like, extend his stay or vary the visa to make him remain here until further notice,” he said.
“But I don’t know where that request has reached,” he added.
Mr Ofori-Atta was detained by ICE over questions surrounding the status of his stay in the United States, according to a statement released by his legal team.
The lawyers said he is cooperating fully with US authorities while efforts are ongoing to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
The statement also disclosed that Mr Ofori-Atta has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a legal process under US law that allows an individual to remain in the country beyond the validity of an initial visa while an application is being considered.
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