Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia, a former regional jail repurposed to house immigration detainees under the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to multiple Ghanaian news reports.
The facility—previously known as the Peumansend Creek Regional Jail—has a design capacity of 336 adult detainees, but as of 28 November 2025, it held 346 individuals, exceeding its limit, according to data compiled by TRAC Immigration and cited by ABC 8 News.
Mr Ofori-Atta is classified among the 226 Non-Criminal Detainees (NCDs) currently held there. The facility also houses 120 individuals classified as criminal offenders.
The Caroline Detention Facility is one of two major ICE detention centres in Virginia, alongside the Farmville Detention Centre. Both have operated at consistently high occupancy levels throughout 2025, reflecting a broader increase in immigration detentions under President Donald Trump’s administration.
A 2023 inspection of the Caroline facility found it had violated rules governing its Voluntary Work Program, with some detainees working beyond permitted hourly limits.
Meanwhile, the Government of Ghana has formally transmitted an extradition request to the United States seeking Mr Ofori-Atta’s return, according to the Information Services Department (ISD).
At a press conference on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, Attorney-General Dominic Ayine confirmed the legal action but declined to provide a timeline for his return. “I can’t tell when Ken Ofori-Atta will be brought back,” he said. “Extradition is a legal process that must follow due course and respect international treaties.”
Citi Newsroom reported that Mr Ofori-Atta is fighting the extradition request with a team of top U.S.-based lawyers.
No official statement has been issued by U.S. authorities on the specific immigration violation that led to his detention, though Ghanaian media cite his visa status as the basis for the ICE hold.
Ghanaian consular officials in Washington, D.C., are expected to seek access in accordance with international protocols, though no visit has been publicly confirmed.