Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Liberia Agrees to Accept Up to 1,200 US Deportees
Liberia has agreed to take in as many as 1,200 people deported by the United States.
These people are from countries other than Liberia.
Many cannot legally be sent back to their home countries because judges said they could face torture or other abuse there.
The first group is expected to include 20 people.
They are expected to arrive on a Thursday.
Some may ask Liberia for asylum, which means protection in another country.
The United States says these deportation agreements are legal.
Rights groups say the agreements are unclear and that many deportees are eventually sent back to their home countries.
Liberia agreed to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States over the coming year.
An initial group of 20 deportees was expected to arrive in Liberia on Thursday.
The deportees include medically authorized travelers from African and Western Hemisphere countries.
Some deportees may seek asylum in Liberia, according to the Liberian government.
Rights groups criticize the deals as opaque, while Washington says they are lawful.
- Who
- Liberia and the United States; the deportees are citizens or nationals of African and Western Hemisphere countries.
- What
- Liberia agreed to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States.
- When
- The agreement covers the coming year; an initial group of 20 was expected to arrive on Thursday, according to the August 18 report.
- Where
- The deportees are expected to be sent to Liberia, in West Africa.
- Why
- The United States is using the arrangement for people it cannot legally repatriate because immigration judges found they risked torture or other abuses at home.
Rights Groups and Advocates
United States and Liberia
Legality of the agreements
Rights Groups and Advocates
Rights groups and advocates have raised concerns about the opacity of the arrangements and the eventual treatment of deportees.
United States and Liberia
Washington has defended the agreements as lawful.
Future repatriation
Rights Groups and Advocates
Advocates say many deportees are ultimately repatriated despite being sent to third countries.
United States and Liberia
The Liberian government says some deportees may instead seek asylum in Liberia.
- Maximum number
- Up to 1,200 deportees
- Initial arrival
- 20 deportees expected on Thursday
- Agreement duration
- The coming year
- Eligible nationalities
- Citizens or nationals of African and Western Hemisphere countries
- Travel condition
- Deportees must be medically authorized to travel
- Possible status in Liberia
- Some may seek asylum
- Other African participants
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Ghana and Sierra Leone were also identified as accepting third-country deportees