Sierra Leone has received a group of West African migrants deported from the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown policy.
A plane carrying nine deported migrants arrived on Wednesday at the international airport near Freetown, according to reports from AFP journalists at the scene. The deportees reportedly include citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, and Senegal.
Confirming the development, Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister, Timothy Musa Kabba, said the country had officially received the deportees under an arrangement with the United States government.
We have received nine deportees this morning from the US,” Kabba told AFP after earlier indicating that 25 migrants were expected.
Security officials, medical personnel, and government representatives were reportedly present at the airport to receive the deportees upon arrival.
According to eyewitness accounts, seven men and two women were escorted from the airport into a waiting minibus under police supervision.
A health ministry official, Doris Bah, disclosed that many of the deportees appeared traumatised following months spent in detention facilities in the United States.
All were traumatised due to the months in chains during detention in the US,” she said.
Bah added that most of the migrants expressed a desire to return to their home countries as soon as possible.
She further revealed that some of the deportees were arrested while going about their daily activities in the United States.
“Some of the deportees were arrested on the streets and at their workplaces, while another was arrested while playing football in the US,” she stated.
Authorities said the deportees would temporarily be housed in a hotel in Sierra Leone and are expected to return to their respective countries within two weeks.
Under the agreement, Sierra Leone reportedly agreed to receive up to 300 deportees annually from member states of the Economic Community of West African States.
Foreign Minister Kabba explained that the arrangement only applies to migrants originating from West African countries and not from outside the region.
We are taking in these deported people because they are from West Africa, and some of them hold Sierra Leonean residence permits obtained many years ago,” he said.
According to the minister, the deportees are allowed to remain in Sierra Leone for up to 90 days before returning to their countries of origin.
Reports also indicate that the United States government will provide about $1.5 million in financial support to assist Sierra Leone with humanitarian and operational costs linked to the deportation programme.
However, Sierra Leonean authorities have not disclosed whether additional concessions or agreements were reached with Washington.
Responding to questions about the deportation arrangement, a spokesperson for the United States Department of State said removing undocumented migrants from US territory remains a top priority for the American government.
The spokesperson did not explain why Sierra Leone was selected for the programme or whether incentives were offered beyond financial support.
Sierra Leone joins several African nations that have recently accepted deported migrants from the United States, including Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Ghana.
Some countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have reportedly accepted deportees from outside Africa, including migrants from Latin America.
Human rights organisations have criticised the arrangements, arguing that the deportation agreements lack transparency and may violate international human rights protections.
Human Rights Watch previously urged African governments to reject such deals, describing them as opaque agreements tied to controversial US immigration policies.
The latest deportation arrangement has already sparked debate across Africa over migration policy, regional cooperation, and the humanitarian treatment of deported migrants.
