Liberia receives first US deportees under new Trump administration deal

Liberia has received the first group of migrants deported from the United States under a new agreement allowing the West African country to accept people who are not Liberian nationals.

About 20 deportees arrived in Liberia last week, marking the beginning of an arrangement under which the country could receive up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States over the next year.

The agreement is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which has seen the US seek arrangements with countries willing to receive migrants who cannot immediately be returned to their countries of origin.

Liberian authorities have said the deportees will be treated as guests and will have the option to seek asylum in Liberia or leave the country.

The government has also described the arrangement as humanitarian and linked it to Liberia’s history of providing refuge to displaced people.

The first group reportedly includes people from countries outside Liberia, with officials indicating that many future deportees are expected to come from Latin America, including Cuba and Venezuela.

The deal has nevertheless sparked concern among rights advocates and some Liberian politicians, particularly over the circumstances under which people are being transferred to a country with which they may have no previous connection.

The arrangement also highlights the growing use of African countries by the US administration as destinations for so-called third-country deportations, a policy that has attracted criticism over potential human rights and legal concerns.

Liberia is expected to receive the additional deportees over the coming year as the agreement is implemented, making the country one of the latest African states to participate in the US administration’s expanded deportation programme.