ICE Deports Former Liberian Fighter Accused of War Crimes

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported Amos Sheik Massaquoi, a 55-year-old former Liberian combatant accused of ordering and participating in killings, torture, and the recruitment of child soldiers during Liberia's civil wars. The deportation occurred on August 11, when Massaquoi was sent back to Liberia after residing in the United States for nearly two decades.

ICE officials stated that Massaquoi is believed to have served as the chief bodyguard to Maj. Gen. Daniel Chea, a former leader in Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia. The agency alleges that Massaquoi was involved in extrajudicial killings, acts of torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, forced labor, and the recruitment of child soldiers between 1989 and 2003.

"If you are a confirmed human rights violator and you believe you can hide in the United States, you are mistaken," said Frank Padula, ICE Chicago Field Office Director. "ICE will pursue, arrest and remove any individuals who committed atrocities abroad and ensure our communities are not used as a sanctuary from accountability."

Massaquoi legally entered the U.S. in August 2006 and was authorized to remain only until November 6 of that year. He was arrested in Maryland in August 2019 by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for being illegally present in the U.S. Although granted bond by an immigration judge less than two months later, he was taken back into ICE custody in April 2025 for failing to comply with the terms of his release. An immigration judge ordered his removal in May 2025.

ICE also noted that Massaquoi received specialized military training in China in 2004, a year after Liberia's second civil war concluded. The civil wars in Liberia resulted in the deaths of nearly 250,000 people, predominantly civilians, according to the United Nations. Charles Taylor, who led a rebel movement before becoming Liberia's president, was later convicted of aiding and abetting crimes committed by rebel forces in neighboring Sierra Leone and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

"Amos Sheik Massaquoi is believed to have engaged in cruelty and terror, marked by killings, torture, forced labor, unlawful imprisonment and the recruitment of children into armed conflict," stated Akil Baldwin, HSI Maryland Special Agent in Charge. "If it is confirmed that an individual has engaged in such bloodshed anywhere in the world, then you have no place in the United States."

The investigation into Massaquoi was supported by ICE's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center. Since 2003, ICE has arrested over 520 individuals for human rights-related violations and removed 1,178 known or suspected human rights violators. The center has also prevented more than 415 suspected human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the country.