The United States has imposed visa restrictions on Ghana for refusing to accept the return of 7,000 nationals that it wants to deport.

“Ghana has failed to live up to its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Thursday.

Nielsen said the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had instructed consular officers in Ghana to stop issuing some categories of visas to applicants.

The US embassy in Accra will limit the awarding of visas to certain applicants, such as the domestic staff of diplomats posted to America.

Government and parliamentary employees and their families were also to be targeted with restrictions such as limiting the number and length of visas granted.

The sanctions could be expanded to include other categories if the issue was not resolved, US officials warned.

7000 Ghanaians were slated for deportation from the United States, according to a report released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Last year, the Ghana authorities said they had delayed the process so they could vet the deportees and confirm their nationalities. They had also raised concerns about their inhumane treatment by US officials.

There were reports of some deportees being handcuffed and forced aboard a plane to Ghana but the U.S denied the reports.

The United States imposed similar sanctions on Eritrea, Guinea and Sierra Leone in 2017.