Liberia announced Tuesday that it will accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States over the next year, marking one of the significant arrangements under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
The first group of 20 deportees is expected to arrive on Thursday, according to Liberia’s Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah. The individuals will include Africans as well as nationals from North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Piah stated that the deportees would be received as guests, with the freedom to leave Liberia or apply for asylum within the country.
Liberia will receive support from the U.S. to manage the program and enhance its migration system. Piah emphasized that the deal was not a quid pro quo and that Liberia was not demanding compensation, framing the gesture as humanitarian and consistent with the nation's tradition of accepting those seeking refuge.
The Liberian government referenced its historical ties to the United States and its history of providing refuge. Liberia’s Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh confirmed that the arriving deportees have been screened and are generally individuals with immigration violations, but not facing prosecution under U.S. or Liberian law.
Since January 2026, the administration has established agreements with several African nations to accept third-country deportees, including individuals who may have protections preventing their return to their home countries due to risks of persecution or torture. It remains unclear if any individuals in the group being sent to Liberia have such protections.
Under similar agreements, thousands of individuals have been deported to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own. The administration maintains that these third-country deals are lawful under federal immigration statutes. The U.S.-Liberia agreement stipulates that Liberia will not return a transferred person to their home country while a protection claim is pending, and both governments intend to adhere to obligations under refugee and anti-torture law. Rights groups have raised concerns that some migrants may be sent to countries where they face safety risks, potentially pressuring them to return to their countries of origin. Other African nations that have accepted third-country deportees include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana, and Sierra Leone.