Liberia agrees to receive up to 1,200 third-country deportees from United States

Terms of the transfer agreement

The government of Liberia announced on 18 August 2026 that it will accept up to 1,200 foreign nationals deported from the United States over the course of one year. Under the bilateral arrangement, an initial cohort of 20 deportees is scheduled to arrive in Monrovia on 20 August 2026. Liberian officials specified that the individuals transferred under the program will include citizens from African nations as well as countries across North America, South America, and the Caribbean. All individuals must be medically cleared to travel before their departure from the United States. Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah confirmed that the arrivals will not face detention upon landing, stating that they will be treated as guests who remain free either to apply for asylum in Liberia or to leave the country whenever they choose.

Expansion of third-country deportation policy

The agreement forms part of an expanded deportation framework pursued by the administration of Donald Trump since January 2025. Under this policy, Washington has deported thousands of individuals to nearly two dozen countries that are not their places of origin, including approximately 10 partner nations across Africa. Under United States immigration law, federal judges have granted many of these individuals formal protection orders prohibiting their repatriation because of credible risks of torture, abuse, or persecution in their home countries. The United States government maintains that while it cannot legally return these individuals to their native countries, nothing prohibits transferring them to third countries willing to accept them. Other African nations participating in similar arrangements include Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eswatini, the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Legal concerns and transfer conditions

Human rights organizations and immigration attorneys have expressed opposition to the third-country transfer mechanism, describing it as a legal loophole designed to circumvent judicial protection orders. Legal advocates argue that the accords have been marked by secrecy, with deportees frequently transferred without public disclosure of their identities or legal charges. In several previous third-country transfers, lawyers reported that deportees were held in prisons upon arrival, experienced total isolation, and were unable to contact legal representation. Rights advocates note that these conditions often leave migrants with little option other than returning to the countries they originally fled. The transfer targets also include Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant who became a focal point of deportation proceedings after being erroneously deported to El Salvador and subsequently returned to the United States.

Liberian government response

Liberian authorities rejected reports that the accord was secured through financial compensation, stating that Monrovia neither requested nor received monetary payments or promises of rewards from Washington. Government officials pointed to Liberia's establishment as a nineteenth-century haven for freed slaves as the foundation for offering humanitarian refuge to foreign nationals. Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah addressed the scope of the agreement during a press briefing.

Liberia's gesture is entirely humanitarian and in keeping with the country's longstanding traditions.

Piah explained that although direct financial payments were excluded, the United States will provide operational and technical assistance to support program management and build capacity within Liberia's national migration system.

The government of Liberia intends to provide the transferred persons with the necessary support to seek protection in Liberia and to be safe during their stay here.

United States officials have not issued an official public response regarding the announcement.