By SCN News Staff
Sierra Leone has received its first group of West African migrants deported from the United States under a controversial third-country agreement connected to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Nine migrants arrived near the capital, Freetown, on Wednesday, according to Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Information. Officials said the group included five people from Ghana, two from Guinea, one from Senegal and one from Nigeria.
The arrivals came under a new deal that allows Sierra Leone to temporarily receive West African nationals removed from the United States before they are repatriated or relocated. Reuters reported earlier that Sierra Leone agreed to take up to 300 West African deportees per year under the arrangement.
Sierra Leonean officials said the deportees are being provided housing and care through a private contractor, with the US supporting the agreement through a $1.5 million grant for humanitarian and operational costs. The agreement reportedly allows processing of up to 25 deportees per month, with onward travel expected within 14 to 30 days.
The case has raised fresh concern among migrant-rights advocates, who argue that third-country deportation deals can leave people in legal uncertainty and may expose some deportees to unsafe conditions if they are sent onward without proper protections. Similar concerns have been raised around other US deportation arrangements with African countries.
Multiple international media reports, including AP and Reuters, said Sierra Leone is now among several African nations involved in US third-country deportation deals as Washington seeks faster ways to remove migrants who cannot easily be sent directly to their home countries.
The Trump administration says the policy is part of a broader effort to enforce immigration law and speed up removals, while critics call the deals secretive and warn they could undermine asylum protections.