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Fifty-two Sierra Leoneans are currently being held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody awaiting deportation, Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba disclosed today.
The confirmation highlights the human cost of the ongoing diplomatic standoff between Freetown and Washington over immigration compliance. The U.S. has historically imposed visa sanctions on countries it deems “recalcitrant” or uncooperative in accepting their deported citizens, a policy that escalated significantly with the total visa ban implemented earlier this month.
Minister Kabba assured families that the government is not abandoning its citizens. “They belong to us, really,” Kabba said, referring to the detainees.
He detailed the government’s active cooperation with the U.S. State Department to verify the identities of those in custody and issue emergency travel certificates for their repatriation.
“I do have the data… as it is right now, we got about 52 people in the custody of ICE,” Kabba told Truth Media. “We work with the State Department to process the emergency travel certificates for them to come back home.”
The Minister cited rapid progress in the verification process, noting that just yesterday, embassy officials verified four individuals who are now cleared to return to Sierra Leone.
The issue of deportation has been a long-standing point of contention. In 2017 and 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sanctioned Sierra Leone for “lack of cooperation” in accepting removed nationals. The current administration is keen to demonstrate compliance to avoid further diplomatic isolation while ensuring that those deported are indeed bona fide Sierra Leoneans.
Addressing the political atmosphere, Minister Kabba clarified that his focus remains strictly on his national duties and supporting President Julius Maada Bio’s agenda, dismissing rumors of any immediate flagbearer ambitions for the ruling SLPP.
“The President is concentrated on delivering his national agenda,” Kabba said, adding that his own work is guided by the President’s standards of “integrity, service, and fear of God”.
