Nine migrants deported from the United States arrived in Sierra Leone on Wednesday, the West African country confirmed, in the latest instance of the Trump administration's controversial agreements with African nations to accept third-country deportees. The group included five Ghanaians, two Guineans, one Senegalese and one Nigerian, according to Sierra Leone's ministry of information.
The ministry stated that the arrivals “have been checked into their hosting facilities, are comfortable and receiving the necessary support.” It noted that 24 deportees were initially expected but did not elaborate on the discrepancy. Alma David, an immigration lawyer with the US-based Novo Legal Group, suggested the lower number may be due to several deportations being halted shortly before the flight departed the United States.
Court documents reviewed by The Associated Press revealed that a US federal judge blocked a woman's deportation to Sierra Leone after the government failed to allow her to seek protection under the Convention Against Torture, as required by law. Sierra Leone's foreign minister, Timothy Kabba, told local media that the government agreed to temporarily receive migrants deported by the Trump administration, accepting only West African nationals, and that the arrangement is supported by a $1.5 million grant from the US government.
The United States has struck similar third-country deportation deals with at least eight other African nations, including Congo, Equatorial Guinea, South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana and Cameroon. Several of these countries have been criticised for repressive governments and poor human rights records. Some have received millions of dollars in return, according to State Department documents, though details of most agreements remain undisclosed.
Lawyers and activists have raised concerns about the nature of these deals. Last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return a Colombian woman to the US from Congo after she was deported there despite Congo's refusal to accept her due to her medical needs.
