Liberia agrees to accept 1,200 foreign deportees from the US

What the report says

Liberia has agreed to receive up to 1,200 people deported from the United States over the next year, according to BBC Africa. The first group of 20 is expected to arrive on Thursday. Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah said the arrangement is a humanitarian one and that the deportees are being treated as guests rather than criminals.

The BBC said Liberia has not said what countries the deportees are from, and it is unclear whether they are people with legal protection from removal to their home countries. Piah said none of those being sent to Liberia are facing prosecution in the US or Liberia, and that they would be free to leave after arrival or could apply for asylum.

The deal comes as the Trump administration has expanded deportations to so-called third countries, including several African states. Liberia’s government said it had not asked for, or received, any compensation in return for agreeing to take the deportees, although Piah said US support would help manage the programme and strengthen Liberia’s migration system.

The move also has historical significance in Liberia, a country founded in the 19th century by freed African-American slaves and free Black settlers from the US and the Caribbean. That background was cited by the minister as part of Liberia’s tradition of offering refuge to people unable to return home.