Liberia is set to receive as many as 1,200 people deported from the United States as part of an arrangement reached with the administration of President Donald Trump.
The Liberian government announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to accept the deportees over a period of one year, as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown and expands efforts to transfer some deportees to countries other than their nations of origin.
According to the Liberian government, the first batch of 20 deportees is expected to arrive in the West African country on Thursday.
The government said those arriving would be free to leave Liberia whenever they wished or apply for asylum if they chose to remain in the country.
The arrangement comes amid growing efforts by the United States to find countries willing to accept migrants who are being removed from American territory. The policy has attracted attention because some of those affected could be sent to countries with which they have no previous connection.
One prominent case is that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who became widely known following his deportation to El Salvador. The Trump administration has indicated that it wants him transferred to another country under its deportation policy.
Several African countries have also become involved in the wider US immigration effort. Ghana and Equatorial Guinea have emerged as transit points for some deportees, although authorities in those countries have reportedly moved some of the individuals onward to their countries of origin.
Former US State Department officials have also raised concerns that Washington is using visa restrictions and other measures to encourage African countries to accept deportees from third countries.
Liberia, however, said its decision was not motivated by financial rewards. The government stated that it had neither demanded nor received compensation or promises of rewards in exchange for agreeing to participate in the programme.
It said Liberia would receive support to help manage the arrangement and strengthen its broader migration system, describing the agreement as a humanitarian initiative.
The US State Department has declined to comment on the arrangement.
The development carries particular historical significance for Liberia, a country founded in the early 19th century by a movement that promoted the relocation of formerly enslaved people and freeborn African Americans from the United States to Africa.
Reports says that Liberia’s decision comes at a time when the Trump administration is significantly expanding its efforts to remove migrants from the United States as part of its tougher immigration policies.
