Liberia To Accept Up To 1,200 Deportees

Liberia has agreed to accept up to 1,200 people deported from the United States, Liberian authorities said on Tuesday. The arrangement is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to discourage illegal migration.

The deportees will arrive in Liberia over a period of one year. The first group of 20 people is expected to arrive on Thursday, Liberia’s Information Minister, Jerolinmek Piah, told reporters in Monrovia.

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Piah said the people being sent to Liberia could include citizens of African and other Western countries who have been medically cleared to travel.

The Trump administration has reached similar agreements with several African countries to accept people deported from the US who are not citizens of those countries.

The agreements have raised concerns among migrant rights groups, particularly because some deportees may have protection orders from US immigration judges preventing them from being returned to their home countries because of safety concerns.

Piah did not say whether any of the people expected to arrive in Liberia have such protection orders.

He said the deportees may apply for asylum in Liberia after arriving or leave the country whenever they wish.

Liberia will receive support from the US to manage the programme and strengthen its migration system, Piah added.

AP