Amnesty urges Sierra Leone to halt return of three U.S. deportees
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAAmnesty International on Friday urged Sierra Leone to halt the expected repatriation of three people deported from the United States, warning they could face serious human rights violations if returned to their home countries in West Africa.
The three — Abalo Agba of Togo, Alfred Kamara of Liberia and Fatou Traore of Ivory Coast — had each lived in the United States for more than 20 years when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed them to Sierra Leone on October 12, according to Amnesty and Reuters. All three have children under 18 still in the United States.
Before their removal, U.S. immigration judges had granted them a form of protection known as withholding of removal — a finding that they were more likely than not to face torture or other abuses if forced home. Amnesty said eight people in total were removed to Sierra Leone that day.
Amnesty warned that migrants previously deported under the arrangement had been quickly repatriated, calling it a “revolving door” policy. Sierra Leone has an agreement with Washington to accept up to 300 West African third-country nationals a year, Reuters reported.
A Sierra Leone government spokesperson and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters said. Amnesty called on Sierra Leone to stop the repatriations and give the three access to fair asylum procedures and independent legal counsel.
Sources: Reuters (Oct 23, 2026); Amnesty International (Oct 23, 2026).
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