Liberia to accept up to 1,200 US deportees from third countries
Liberia has agreed to accept as many as 1,200 deportees from third countries sent by the United States over the next 12 months, with the first group of 20 expected to arrive on Thursday, the Liberian government announced on Tuesday.
The agreement is part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to reach deportation arrangements with African countries for migrants who cannot legally be returned to their countries of origin.
Many of those being transferred to third countries have received legal protection from deportation to their home nations after US immigration judges determined that they could face torture or other forms of abuse if returned.
The US government has defended the arrangements as lawful, although human rights organisations have criticised the deals, arguing that the terms are often unclear and that some deportees are eventually sent back to their countries of origin.
According to the Liberian government, those being transferred will include nationals from African and Western Hemisphere countries who have been medically cleared to travel. Their nationalities were not immediately disclosed.
The US State Department had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the announcement.
Liberia joins several other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone, that have agreed to receive deportees from the US who are nationals of other countries.
The Liberian government said the deportees would be treated as guests, with the freedom to leave the country and the option to seek asylum there.
It also stressed that the arrangement was not a quid pro quo and that Liberia had not demanded financial compensation from Washington for accepting the deportees.
However, the government said Liberia would receive assistance to administer the programme and strengthen its broader migration management system, without providing further details.
The statement also highlighted Liberia’s history of offering refuge to freed slaves from the United States and its longstanding role in accepting people fleeing political and other crises.
President Joseph Boakai was among five West African leaders who visited the White House last year for talks with US President Donald Trump.
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