Liberia has agreed to welcome around 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States within the next year, with an initial batch of 20 expected to land on Thursday, as stated by the government. The Liberian government’s announcement on Tuesday mentioned that the deportees would comprise individuals from African and Western Hemisphere nations who have been medically cleared for travel.
Specific details on the nationalities of the deportees were not immediately provided, with the U.S. State Department declining to disclose such information. Historically, the U.S. has upheld the non-refoulement principle in its immigration laws and international agreements, which prohibits the return of migrants to countries where their human rights or safety may be at risk based on factors like race, religion, or nationality.
Since assuming office in January 2025, the Trump administration has struck agreements with various African nations and other global partners to deport individuals whom they cannot legally send back to their home countries. These agreements have faced criticism for lack of transparency in notifying deportees, although the administration has defended them as lawful.
Immigration lawyers have criticized the use of third-country deportations by the Trump administration as exploiting legal loopholes, often leading to deportees being sent to unfamiliar locations, leaving them with limited options to return to their home countries. Liberian President Joseph Boakai, among other West African leaders, visited the White House last year, where Trump encouraged accepting third-country deportees.
Liberia clarified that the deportees would be treated as guests who could depart at their discretion and apply for asylum if desired. The government emphasized that the arrangement with the U.S. was not based on reciprocity, and Monrovia was not seeking compensation for hosting the deportees.
A group of Senate Democrats raised concerns in a February report, labeling such agreements as exploitative and costly for American taxpayers. Several African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, have also accepted third-country deportees from the U.S.
The U.S. administration’s strategy to reduce the foreign-born population includes encouraging unauthorized residents to self-deport and revoking visas from foreign nationals. Recently, a federal judge permitted the termination of legal protections for over 5,000 Ethiopians living and working in the U.S., following similar decisions affecting individuals from South Sudan, Myanmar, and Somalia.
The temporary protected status (TPS) program, which has granted sanctuary to individuals from conflict-ridden or disaster-affected countries since the 1990s, has faced scrutiny from the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers for not being meant as a permanent solution. Critics argue that some TPS recipients could have pursued asylum claims upon arrival in the U.S.
Various organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, have criticized the termination of TPS protections, citing economic impacts and humanitarian concerns regarding the treatment of migrants in the country.