Sierra Leone has officially joined the growing list of African nations receiving deportees from the United States, as nine migrants arrived in Freetown under President Donald Trump’s expanding immigration crackdown.

Sierra Leone has received its first batch of deportees from the United States under President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown.

Nine migrants from Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, and Senegal landed at Freetown International Airport on Wednesday morning, according to Sierra Leonean authorities.

Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy Musa Kabba confirmed the arrival after earlier reports suggested 25 people were expected. The deportees — seven men and two women — were escorted away under police supervision after landing.

A Health Ministry official, Doris Bah, revealed that many of the migrants appeared deeply traumatised after spending months in detention in the US.

According to Bah, some were reportedly arrested while working, others while simply going about daily activities, including one individual allegedly detained while playing football.

Authorities say the deportees will stay temporarily in a hotel before being returned to their home countries within two weeks.

Under the agreement with Washington, Sierra Leone has agreed to receive up to 300 deportees annually — but only citizens from ECOWAS countries. The US is reportedly providing $1.5 million to support the programme’s humanitarian and operational costs.

The move has sparked criticism from human rights groups, with Human Rights Watch previously urging African countries to reject what it described as “opaque deals” linked to US deportation policies.

Sierra Leone now joins countries including Ghana, Rwanda, Cameroon, DR Congo, and South Sudan in accepting deportees from the United States.

With attribution to cbinews.tv

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