El Paso Standard

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported Prince Solomon Knox, a 62-year-old Sierra Leonean national, to his home country on March 1. Knox was apprehended by ICE in St. Louis on February 4, following previous convictions for visa fraud and domestic assault related to his false claims of affiliation with armed terrorist groups.

Knox arrived in the United States at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on April 14, 2004. He came under ICE scrutiny in 2006 during an investigation into allegations of fraud by individuals falsely claiming refugee status. The investigation uncovered testimonies linking him to multiple combatant groups in Western Africa, including the Revolutionary United Front, notorious for using child soldiers and committing atrocities such as amputations against Sierra Leoneans.

"Foreign nationals, from any country, cannot be allowed to abuse the visa system and migrate to the U.S. fraudulently," stated Sam Olson, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago Field Office Director. "This is an example of someone not only attempting to escape responsibility in their home country but also depriving those in the global community of the opportunity to seek desperately needed relief."

The investigation led to a federal grand jury indictment against Knox on two counts of visa fraud and two counts of making false statements. He was arrested by ICE on December 21, 2006, convicted on June 20, 2007, by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and sentenced to twelve months in prison.

An immigration judge ordered Knox's removal on June 6, 2008, while he was still in custody. Subsequently, he was placed under an order of supervision pending his deportation.