Liberia agrees to take 1,200 third-country deportees from the U.S. : NPR

MONROVIA, Liberia — On Tuesday, officials in Liberia announced an agreement to take in up to 1,200 deportees from the United States, marking one of the largest initiatives of this kind under the Trump administration’s intensified immigration policies.

According to Liberia’s Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah, these deportees will be accommodated over the next year, with the first group of 20 arriving on Thursday. The 1,200 individuals will include Africans, as well as citizens from North and South America and the Caribbean.

Under a series of confidential agreements, the Trump administration has reportedly deported thousands of individuals to approximately 24 countries where they do not hold citizenship, with about 10 of these nations located in Africa.

These agreements often involve migrants who have been granted protection orders by U.S. immigration judges, preventing their return to their home countries due to safety concerns. The Liberian minister did not confirm whether the deportees to Liberia have such orders.

During a briefing on Tuesday, Liberia’s Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh stated that the nation has vetted the list of incoming migrants. “Most of them have committed immigration violations and offenses,” he noted.

Piah mentioned that after arriving in Liberia, deportees will have the option to seek asylum or leave the country at their discretion. He also noted that the U.S. will provide support to Liberia to help manage this initiative and bolster its migration system.

Piah emphasized that Liberia’s decision is purely humanitarian and aligns with the country’s longstanding traditions. He assured that the government will offer necessary support to ensure the safety and protection of these individuals during their stay.

Immigration lawyers argue that the Trump administration uses deportations to third countries as a loophole to indirectly send asylum seekers back to their origin countries. Many migrants end up in nations where they have never lived or face safety threats, leaving them with limited choices but to return to their home countries from which they fled.