Sierra Leone has agreed to receive hundreds of West African migrants deported from the United States under a new arrangement with Washington, Sierra Leone’s foreign minister said, marking the latest expansion of U.S. third-country deportation agreements under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Foreign Minister Timothy Kabba told Reuters that the first group of deportees is expected to arrive on May 20, carrying 25 nationals from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.
Under the agreement, Sierra Leone will accept up to 300 deportees annually from member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with a monthly cap of 25 individuals.
“Sierra Leone signed a Third Country National Agreement with the U.S. to accept 300 ECOWAS citizens from the U.S. per year with a maximum of 25 a month,” Kabba said.
The deal is part of Washington’s broader effort to accelerate migrant removals by relocating deportees to third countries across Africa and elsewhere. Similar arrangements have already been reached with countries including Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Eswatini.
Rights groups and legal experts have sharply criticised the policy, arguing that deportees are being transferred to countries where they are not citizens and may face uncertainty, detention or forced return to their home states despite legal protections granted in the United States.
Reuters previously reported that some deportees sent to African countries, including Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, were later pressured or compelled to return to their countries of origin even after receiving court-ordered protections in the U.S. intended to prevent deportation.
It remains unclear whether migrants sent to Sierra Leone will be allowed to remain in the country long term. Sierra Leonean authorities did not immediately clarify the legal status or residency rights that deportees would receive upon arrival.
Kabba also did not disclose what Sierra Leone would receive in exchange for participating in the arrangement, describing it instead as part of bilateral cooperation with Washington.
“It’s part of our bilateral relationship with the U.S. to assist with its immigration policy,” he said.
A February report by Democrats on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the financial cost of third-country deportation agreements remained unclear, but noted that Washington had already transferred more than $32 million to five countries participating in similar arrangements: Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Eswatini and Palau.
The agreement also comes after years of tension between Washington and Freetown over deportation cooperation. During Trump’s first administration in 2017, the United States imposed visa restrictions on Sierra Leonean foreign ministry and immigration officials, accusing the government of refusing to accept deported Sierra Leonean nationals.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment on the new arrangement. The White House and State Department have previously defended the legality of third-country deportations.