Key facts
- Twenty migrants deported from the U.S. arrived in Liberia.
- Liberia will receive up to 1,200 deportees from the U.S. over 12 months.
- The deportees include nationals from Africa, North America, South America, and the Caribbean.
- The Trump administration has agreements with two dozen countries for third-country deportations.
- The U.S. has spent at least $40 million on deporting migrants to countries other than their own.
Twenty migrants deported from the United States arrived in Liberia on Thursday, marking the first group of an anticipated 1,200 deportees under a new bilateral agreement. This move is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to deport individuals to countries other than their own, often through secret agreements.
Liberia has agreed to receive up to 1,200 deportees over 12 months, including nationals from Africa, North America, South America, and the Caribbean. This practice, which has involved thousands of people being sent to two dozen countries, is viewed by advocates as a legal loophole to return asylum-seekers indirectly to countries they fled.
Several African nations, some facing economic or political pressure from the U.S., have entered into similar agreements. These countries include South Sudan, Eswatini, Rwanda, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic. While some governments, like Ghana's, have defended the deals on humanitarian grounds, critics and rights advocates raise concerns about accountability, due process, and the potential violation of non-refoulement principles, which bar sending individuals to places where they face persecution or torture.
The U.S. has reportedly spent at least $40 million on deporting approximately 300 migrants to countries not their own. Some deportees have described harsh conditions during transit, including being shackled. The circumstances and support provided to deportees vary significantly by country, with some individuals facing confinement and pressure to return home, while others receive assistance from organizations like the International Organization for Migration.