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Trump Administration Third-Country Deportations to Sierra Leone
The U.S. and Sierra Leone reached a removal agreement via diplomatic notes in early 2026. A health ministry official said arrivals showed signs of trauma from months spent in restraints during U.S. detention.
The US and Sierra Leone reached a removal agreement via diplomatic notes dated January 26, 2026. Roughly 21 people have been transferred across two flights (May and June 2026); a health ministry official said arrivals were traumatized from months in chains during US detention.
2025 Events (1)
Sierra Leone agreed to accept US deportees, later described months in chains
Sierra Leone's government sent a note verbale on November 20, 2025 expressing willingness to accept up to 300 ECOWAS-citizen deportees from the United States per year; a January 2026 exchange of notes finalized the arrangement, adding that neither side intended to transfer people with violent criminal backgrounds. Nine people arrived May 20, 2026 — the first of two flights — and were described by a Sierra Leonean health ministry official as "traumatized due to the months in chains during detention in the US."