A new migration agreement between Sierra Leone and the United States will see the West African country accept deported migrants from several ECOWAS nations as Washington expands its third-country removal policy.
The development comes against the backdrop of past tensions between both countries over deportation issues, including a 2017 dispute during the Trump administration over visa restrictions linked to Sierra Leone’s refusal to accept deportees. The U.S. government has maintained that its deportation policies are carried out in accordance with applicable laws.
Under the arrangement, Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister, Timothy Kabba, says the first batch of deportees is scheduled to arrive on May 20, with 25 individuals expected from countries including Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.
Kabba explained that the deal allows the United States to send up to 300 ECOWAS nationals annually, with a monthly limit of 25. He said the arrangement forms part of broader bilateral cooperation between both countries on immigration management and regional migration control.
The policy is part of a wider US practice of transferring deportees to third countries, a move that has already involved several African nations including Ghana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini.
However, the approach has drawn criticism from legal and human rights groups, who question the legal basis for relocating migrants to countries where they are not citizens and raise concerns about their treatment and long-term status.
Sierra Leone has not clarified whether the deportees will be allowed to remain in the country or eventually be returned to their home nations.
