By Buba Gagigo
The Gambia government has confirmed that the United States is preparing to deport more than 3,000 Gambian nationals, citing delays in the verification process as a key factor in the decision.
Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, Gambia’s Minister of Information, said the U.S. government had informed Gambian authorities of the planned deportations. However, he emphasized that before any deportations take place, the government must verify the identities of those affected.“The fact is that we have currently over 3000 Gambians that are in line to be deported to the Gambia by the American government,” Dr. Ceesay said in an interview with West Coast Radio. “But we as a government need to verify whether these are really Gambians before they can be issued traveling documents.”
According to Dr. Ceesay, the U.S. government proposed handling the verification virtually, but discussions over the process have caused delays. As a result, Gambia has been placed on a list of countries that could face travel restrictions.
“The verification process is a slow process because these Gambians are in different states. Going to interview them and verify whether they are Gambians involves a lot of logistics. US government has suggested this thing to be done virtually, and that was an issue back and forth in trying to find a solution to this. And because of the delay, it was an administrative decision to put Gambia on a list of countries to be potentially inflicted by traveling restrictions,” Dr. Ceesay Explains.
The Gambian government has been given 60 days to resolve the issue, Dr. Ceesay added. He assured that officials are working closely with their U.S. counterparts to find a resolution, emphasizing the strong bilateral ties between the two nations.
Gambia has previously faced similar immigration challenges with the U.S., where thousands of Gambians reside, some without legal status. The latest development underscores the ongoing diplomatic and logistical hurdles in addressing deportation cases.