Liberia to take 1,200 deportees from the US

What the report says

Liberia says it will accept as many as 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States, according to Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah, who briefed reporters in Monrovia. Al Jazeera reported that the first group of 20 is expected to arrive on Thursday, marking the start of a deal that would involve people from Africa, North and South America, and the Caribbean.

Piah said the Liberian government wants those transferred to be treated as guests of the republic and said they would be free to leave the country when they wish. The arrangement comes amid broader U.S. efforts under the Trump administration to send deportees to countries other than their own, with rights groups tracking similar agreements involving at least 35 countries.

Al Jazeera reported that Liberia’s deal would be the largest such transfer so far. The article also noted that the United States has sent roughly 22,000 people to 26 countries they did not come from by early August 2026, based on figures cited by Refugees International and Human Rights First. The Liberia agreement, first reached in 2025 and made public in March 2026, is being challenged in U.S. lawsuits and has drawn attention because of its scale and its connection to Washington’s immigration enforcement policy.