Sierra Leone Agrees to Receive Deported West African Migrants Under New US Deal
Sierra Leone has agreed to accept hundreds of West African migrants deported from the United States under a new arrangement aimed at supporting Washington’s intensified immigration enforcement policy.
According to Timothy Musa Kabba, the government has signed a Third Country National Agreement with the United States to receive up to 300 deportees annually from member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Foreign Minister disclosed that the first group of deportees is expected to arrive in Sierra Leone on 20 May, with an initial flight carrying 25 individuals from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, and Nigeria. Under the agreement, Sierra Leone will receive a maximum of 25 deportees each month.
The arrangement makes Sierra Leone one of several African countries that have entered similar agreements with the United States to receive third-country deportees. Other countries reported to have accepted such migrants include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Eswatini.
The policy has, however, sparked criticism from human rights groups and legal experts, who have raised concerns about the legality of transferring migrants to countries where they are not citizens. There are also questions about the treatment of deportees and whether those sent to Sierra Leone will be permitted to remain in the country or required to return to their countries of origin.
Minister Kabba did not disclose what Sierra Leone would receive in exchange for participating in the arrangement but stated that the agreement forms part of the country’s broader bilateral relationship with the United States and its cooperation on immigration matters.
The latest development recalls tensions between the two countries during the first administration of Donald Trump. In 2017, Washington imposed visa restrictions on certain Sierra Leonean foreign ministry and immigration officials after accusing the government of refusing to cooperate on the repatriation of its own nationals.
The new agreement is expected to generate public debate in Sierra Leone, particularly around immigration policy, regional responsibility.
