Thirty-two Ghanaian nationals have been named on a public criminal database maintained by the United States Department of Homeland Security, which tracks foreign nationals with serious criminal records who are facing deportation.
The database is managed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and identifies what the agency describes as its most serious criminal cases among arrested foreign nationals.
The department recently expanded the database by 5,000 new entries, bringing the total number of criminal arrests listed to over 35,000.
Among the Ghanaians featured, the offences range from violent crime to financial fraud. Kwabena Adjei, arrested in Alden, New York, faces the gravest charge — homicide; Paul Dayah, arrested in Houston, Texas, is listed for sex assault, drug possession and drug trafficking; while Edmund Agbo, arrested in Conroe, Texas, faces charges of assault and human trafficking.
Several others face sex-related offences. Martin Obeng Darko Berchie, arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is charged with a sex offence, and Solomon Blay, arrested in Newark, New Jersey, faces charges that include cruelty toward a child.
Financial crimes feature prominently among the cases. A number of those listed are charged with identity theft, fraud, and money laundering across multiple US states. Eric Ahiekpor, arrested in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, faces charges including wire fraud, general fraud, and money laundering; Emmanuel Darko, arrested in Saint Clairsville, Ohio, is charged with weapon possession, fraud by false statement, and identity theft.
On the drug front, Masawudu Gariba, arrested in York, Pennsylvania, faces synthetic narcotic sale and drug trafficking charges, while Kofi Owusu, arrested in Bennettsville, South Carolina, is also charged with drug trafficking.
The DHS framed the database as part of a broader enforcement agenda. Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that ICE officers are fulfilling President Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations, adding that the department’s operations have led to the arrests of over 7,000 gang members and more than 1,400 known or suspected terrorists nationwide.
However, the data tells a more nuanced story. According to TRAC Immigration, a Syracuse University-operated immigration data source, individuals held in ICE detention without criminal convictions made up 70.8 percent of detainees as of early April, suggesting the majority of those in custody have no serious criminal record.
The following thirty-two Ghanaian nationals appear on the DHS "Worst of the Worst" database:
- Franklin Donkoh (Atlanta, Georgia) – Shoplifting
- Adams Suleman (Miami, Florida) – Cocaine Possession
- Solomon Blay (Newark, New Jersey) – Cruelty Toward Child, Fraud
- Kofi Michael Adae (Chantilly, Virginia) – Damage Property
- Awudu Aidoo (Alden, New York) – Weapon Offence
- Brian Danjuma (Frederick, Maryland) – Domestic Violence
- Joseph Ebu (Louisville, Kentucky) – Fraud, Illegal Use of Credit Cards, Identity Theft
- Regina Asante Henaku (Framingham, Massachusetts) – Larceny, Identity Theft, Fraud
- George Owusu Ansah (Harlingen, Texas) – Identity Theft
- Masawudu Gariba (York, Pennsylvania) – Synthetic Narcotic Sale, Drug Trafficking
- Andrew K A Boateng (Hackensack, New Jersey) – Fraud (Impersonating)
- Iddriss Osman (Snow Hill, Maryland) – Fraud (Illegal Use of Credit Cards)
- Edward Sarpong (Charleston, South Carolina) – Burglary, Synthetic Narcotic Sale
- Paul Dayah (Houston, Texas) – Sex Assault, Drug Possession, Drug Trafficking
- Joseph Amegah (Burlington, Massachusetts) – Assault, Fraud (False Statement)
- Lily Aiphonsis Majdoub (Elk River, Minnesota) – Fraud
- Emmanuel Darko (Saint Clairsville, Ohio) – Possession of Weapon, Fraud, Identity Theft
- Martin Obeng Darko Berchie (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – Sex Offence
- Charles Sokpa-Anku (Sterling, Virginia) – Fraud (Swindle)
- Emmanuel Lamptey (Nashville, Tennessee) – Identity Theft
- Mohammed Mustapha (Saint Louis, Michigan) – Extortion
- Emmanuel Haruna (Laredo, Texas) – Assault, Smuggling Aliens
- Kahad Wuupini (Big Spring, Texas) – Money Laundering
- Kwabena Adjei (Alden, New York) – Homicide
- Edmund Agbo (Conroe, Texas) – Assault, Human Slavery or Trafficking
- Eric Ahiekpor (Allenwood, Pennsylvania) – Fraud by Wire, Fraud, Money Laundering
- Jeanette Agbemble (Houston, Texas) – Dangerous Drugs, Drug Possession
- Abdul Mohammed (Laredo, Texas) – Identity Theft, Counterfeiting
- Albert Nkrumah (Atlanta, Georgia) – Forgery
- Mona Montrage (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – Fraud
- David Mensah (Loretto, Pennsylvania) – Money Laundering
- Kofi Owusu (Bennettsville, South Carolina) – Drug Trafficking