No, president Trump did not say he would deport all Ghanaians from the US, including green card holders
IN SHORT: A video claims Trump said he would expel all Ghanaians, including green card holders, from the US, and that he would have former Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo arrested. But the video is fake and has been digitally altered.
A video went viral on TikTok in early February 2025, appearing to show US president Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office and making a controversial statement.
He appears to say: “I will be deporting all the Ghanaians who are living in my country, even if you have a green card. America is not your father’s house, and I will make sure Nana Akufo-Addo is arrested for destroying Ghana economy.”
The video has become popular, getting over 2.6 million views, 32,000 shares, 70,000 likes and 5,600 comments on TikTok. It was also posted and widely engaged with on Facebook. Many users have reacted with concern and outrage to the statement.
The context
Nana Akufo-Addo served two consecutive terms as the president of Ghana, before John Dramani Mahama succeeded him in January 2025.
Trump was sworn in for his second presidential term in January. His administration has implemented strict immigration policies, including an aggressive deportation programme that was central to his 2024 campaign.
He also signed an executive order attempting to end the US’s birthright citizenship where neither parent is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. But this has, at time of publication, been held up in court.
The claim in the video suggests that Trump has announced a bizarre plan to deport all Ghanaians from the US, regardless of their legal status, and to arrest Ghana’s former president. But is this true? We checked.
Video a deepfake
Trump’s lip movements are in sync with the words he says, giving the initial impression that the video is real. But the video actually uses deepfake technology to alter an existing Trump video.
Deepfakes are artificially generated or altered clips that can convincingly alter a video or create a new one by synchronising someone’s lip movement with artificially generated speech that mimics that person’s voice.
Such videos are often designed to spread misinformation and are becoming increasingly common. This video could have been made from a segment of another Trump video, such as this one, where he is in a similar setting and wearing similar clothes.
There are no official records, credible news reports or speeches in which Trump made a statement about deporting Ghanaians or arresting Akufo-Addo. If he had, it would have been widely reported.
Moreover, US deportation policies do not allow for the removal of green card holders without valid reasons and due process. A green card holder is a permanent resident of the US, with permission to live and work there.
Even though Trump has pushed for strict deportation policies and tried to end birthright citizenship, he has not attempted to revoke the legal status of green card holders. Even his blocked executive order to end birthright citizenship did not target children born to parents who were lawful permanent residents, but rather children born to parents who were neither citizens nor lawful permanent residents.
If a US president were to attempt mass deportation of migrants from a specific country, it would face a lot of legal and political opposition, making headlines globally. There are no credible news reports supporting this claim.
The claim that Donald Trump said he would deport all Ghanaians, including green card holders, and have Ghana’s former president arrested is false.