Liberia has agreed to receive up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States over the next year, starting with an initial group of 20 expected to arrive on Thursday, as announced by the Liberian government. These deportees will consist of individuals from African and Western Hemisphere nations who have medical clearance for travel. Specific nationalities of the deportees have not been disclosed, with the U.S. State Department refraining from providing such information.
In the past, the U.S. has adhered to the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of migrants to countries where their human rights, life, or freedom may be at risk due to factors like race, religion, or nationality. However, the current administration under U.S. President Donald Trump has entered into agreements with various African nations and others globally to deport individuals who cannot be sent back to their home countries due to legal constraints. These deals have faced criticism for lack of transparency in deportation procedures.
Immigration lawyers have criticized the use of third-country deportations by the Trump administration as a legal workaround, often resulting in migrants being sent to unfamiliar places and left with limited options to return to their home countries. Liberian President Joseph Boakai, along with four other West African leaders, met with President Trump, where Trump urged the leaders to accept third-country deportees.
Liberia emphasized that the deportees would be treated as guests with the freedom to depart at their discretion and the option to seek asylum within Liberia if needed. The government clarified that the agreement with Washington did not involve any exchange or compensation demands from Monrovia for accepting the deportees.
Several Senate Democrats have raised concerns about these deportation agreements, describing them as exploitative and involving secret payments and concessions to pressure countries into accepting deportees. Apart from Liberia, other African nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ghana, and Sierra Leone have also accepted third-country deportees from the U.S.
The Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the foreign-born population in the U.S. have included strategies such as encouraging unauthorized residents to self-deport and revoking visas of foreign nationals. Recent court decisions have allowed the administration to terminate legal protections for various nationalities, including Ethiopians, South Sudanese, Myanmarese, and Somalis, enabling their deportation.
The temporary protected status (TPS) granted to individuals from countries facing conflict or natural disasters has been a contentious issue, with the Trump administration arguing against its indefinite extension. Critics, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, have voiced concerns about the economic impact and humanitarian implications of ending TPS protections for immigrant workers.
