Liberia to Take 1,200 US Deportees

Liberia has agreed to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States, Liberian authorities said Tuesday — one of the largest such arrangements struck under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

The deportees will be received over the course of a year. The first group of 20 is expected in the coming days.

Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah announced the deal in Monrovia.

Who Is Covered

The people sent to Liberia are "third-country" deportees — they are not Liberian nationals and, in the main, have no tie to the country. Piah said the group will include nationals from Africa, North America, South America and the Caribbean.

Piah said deportees may apply for asylum in Liberia or leave the country whenever they choose.

He did not confirm whether anyone in the first group of 20 holds a U.S. immigration court order barring their return to their home country over safety concerns — the legal question at the center of the third-country deportation fight.

What Liberia Gets

In connection with the 2025 agreement, the Trump administration extended certain Liberian visas from 12 months to 36 months and committed $124 million for Liberia's health services.

What further support Washington will provide to run the program has not been detailed publicly.