Liberia to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from U.S.
Liberia has agreed to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the U.S. in the next 12 months.
The first group of 20 deportees is expected to arrive on Thursday, the government said in a statement on Tuesday.
Since taking office in January last year, President Donald Trump’s administration has struck several deals with African countries on deporting people it cannot legally send to their home countries.
The deportees have in most cases obtained legal protection against repatriation after U.S. immigration judges ruled they risked torture or other abuses in their home countries.
Washington has defended the third-country deals as lawful, although rights groups and advocates say the details are opaque and many deportees are ultimately repatriated.
The Liberian government’s statement said the deportees will include citizens or nationals of African and Western Hemisphere countries who are medically authorised to travel.
No information was immediately available on the deportees’ nationalities. The State Department does not disclose such details.
Other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone, have also accepted third-country deportees.
Liberia said recently that the deportees would be received “as guests” who could leave when they wanted and could apply for asylum in Liberia.
The statement said the deal did not involve a quid pro quo where Washington and Monrovia would demand compensation for taking the deportees.
It added, however, that the government would receive support to help manage the programme and strengthen its migration system more broadly. It offered no further details.
The statement also referenced Liberia’s history as a refuge for formerly enslaved people from the U.S. and its long history of accepting people seeking refuge from political and other crises.
President Joseph Boakai was one of five West African leaders who travelled to the White House last year to meet with Mr Trump.
(Reuters/NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
Troops kill suspected bandits in Kogi
Mr Zubairu said that troops received information regarding the discovery of suspected bandits’ bodies towards Adankolo Forest.
Sport
Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane draws blank in Bayern, Dortmund draw
Dayot Upamecano restored Bayern’s lead in the 66th minute from an assist by Kane, before Fabio Silva stunned the hosts with an 89th-minute equaliser.
Rights
France: Thousands of protesters take to streets in Halloween costumes
The protest coincided with Halloween, which inspired some protesters to wear masks and costumes—a move French authorities warned against.
Heading 1
Tinubu inherited terrorism, banditry, kidnapping: Dogara
Mr Dogara said the nation’s security problems are rooted in years of porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, and high youth unemployment.
Heading 1
2027: Don’t claim victory if you fail to deliver your polling unit, Wike tells APC supporters
Mr Wike warned that individual accountability at the local level would be the sole measure of political relevance.
World
Ilhan Omar’s case large, not weaponisation of laws: DHS
Ms Omar is accused of marrying her brother, Ahmed Elmi, to bring him into the U.S. and obtain the country’s citizenship.
