repatriation

noun

re·​pa·​tri·​a·​tion (ˌ)rē-ˌpā-trē-ˈā-shən 

-ˌpa-

plural repatriations

: the act or process of restoring or returning someone or something to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship : the act of repatriating or the state of being repatriated

While officials privately acknowledge there is scant legal basis for repatriation, their public statements suggest that they would use lawsuits, diplomatic pressure and shame to bring home looted objects—not unlike Italy, Greece and Egypt, which have sought, with some success, to recover antiquities in European and American museums.

—Andrew Jacobs

They say they have that right under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which requires that human remains and artifacts be returned to Indian tribes that can show a cultural link.

—Timothy Egan

This left him an illegal immigrant in Hong Kong, subject to arrest and repatriation at any time.

—Nicholas D. Kristof

Examples of repatriation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Per the outlet, while the British Museum Act 1963 forbids the return of any object in the collection, officials in Ethiopia will be making a formal repatriation request to the U.K. government. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025

In their final budget request, the Biden administration asked for $19 billion to fund additional personnel, facilities, repatriation capabilities, and other enforcement resources along the southwest border. —Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 20 Jan. 2025

Lately, in the museum space, a sort of reckoning with the past is a big point of emphasis, and specifically the repatriation of human remains and sacred objects. —Kayla Randall, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025

But be prepared for higher ongoing costs and consider in advance the on-premises or colocation infrastructure and AI tools that would be required for potential repatriation from the cloud. —Sven Oehme, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above