The question as to whether President Bio was barred from entry into the United States of America or not became a talking point and a hot debate between his diehard SLPP supporters and conformist supporters of the Main Opposition, All Peoples Congress (APC) supporters in 2019, preceding the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. However, President Bio attended the General Assembly (GA) in New York in the United States making SLPP supporters walk shoulder-high.
Be it as it may, the issue disappeared into oblivion and it was put to rest with President Bio’s entering the United States of America in 2019 on diplomatic grounds; as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. President Bio on Thursday 26th September 2019 delivered his speech in New York on a wide range of issues. He spoke about the progress of Sierra Leone since he assumed political office and his steps to achieving social and economic progress in the country
However, recent trending reports whined that President Bio’s United States immigration status is in doubt and needs clarity for entry into the United States. This cannot be unconnected with rumours that before he became President of Sierra Leone, President Bio might have had issues with the United States Government which affected his entry into the United States as alleged.
To alleviate the worries, the government of Sierra Leone through Jerry Torres, a US-based citizen, was hired by President Bio to serve as his National Security Advisor and tasked with the duty of assisting President Bio and his administration in reviving and strengthening the relationship with the United States, which became entangled and strained following the outcome of the June 24 elections which has been said to have been defied with electoral irregularities that saw President Bio has been declared the winner and sworn in as the President of Sierra Leone in April 2023 for Second term
According to sources from Lamrana Bah of #Freetownstories, the Government of Sierra Leone and President Bio’s Security Adviser Torres have sought the legal services of a US-based Law Firm, Ifrah Law to investigate and evaluate President Bio’s immigration status with US authorities. The move by the Government of Sierra Leone to find out about the immigration status of President Bio is laudable, although, there have been hues and cries over the cost of hiring a law firm.
According to Lamrana Bah:
‘’The government of Sierra Leone has, through Jerry Torres, a National Security adviser to His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, hired Ifrah Law, a U.S.-based law firm, to investigate and evaluate President Bio’s immigration status with U.S. authorities.
Ifrah Law declared to the U.S. Department of Justice that they will pursue obtaining President Bio’s Alien File, review it, as well as any litigation from the Immigration Court, and evaluate whether there are any needs and avenues for relief.
Torres, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran was hired by the government in August 2023 to generally advise and assist President Bio and his government in strengthening its political relations with the United States of America’’
With the aforementioned information, common sense will suggest that there is a serious problem with President Bio’s immigration status because the Law Firm has declared to the United States Department of Justice that it will pursue obtain President Bio’s Alien File, review and peruse it for any consequential litigation, explore and seek an avenue for relief where necessary from the US Department of Justice.
This latest development brings to question the immigration status of President Bio’s entry to the United States vis-à -vis the move by the Government of Sierra Leone alongside Jerry Torres, National Security Advisor to pursue the matter to the latter.
It would be recalled that in 2019, President Bio’s immigration status to the United States was questioned but his supporters treated the whole issue with a pinch of salt, arguing that President Bio had no immigration problem with the United States and could enter and leave as and when necessary but as it is the push has come to shove.
apart from President Bio’s alleged immigration status under question as put above, there is another account, which one should not turn blind eyes and deaf ears over in respect of the United States Visa restrictions, announced by Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken. Fundamentally, in September 2023, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued visa restrictions to certain unnamed individuals who were deemed to be undermining democracy in Sierra Leone. However, the issued Visa Restrictions did not out-rightly tag the targeted individuals, whether they are opposition members or government officials but strategic members of the Government like the Presidential Spokesman Alhaji Alpha Kanu and the former Press Secretary Solomon Jamiru reacted by emphasizing that the government will engage the US authorities. No announcement has been on that ever since then.
By and large, stressed that the United States will target individuals involved in undermining the democratic process in Sierra Leone. The United States Department frowned on and predicated the US Visa restriction over accounts of threats, including those directed at local and international observers, civil society groups, and election commission members. The United States Department through Blinken vowed to actively pursue visa restrictions against those whose acts include manipulating or rigging the electoral process, employing intimidation tactics to deter voters, election observers, or civil society entities through threats or physical violence, as well as violating human rights principles associated with the democratic process in Sierra Leone. Who could these people be, President Bio or Dr Samura Kamara but as Legendary Bob Marley says ‘’ Who feels it knows it’’. Speculations might have been directed to President Bio and other government officials and by extension some APC members who might have undermined democracy in Sierra Leone.
