US conducts first deportation to Liberia under third-country agreement
The United States on Thursday carried out its first deportation under an agreement for Liberia to accept up to 1,200 people who are not from the West African country, one of the Trump administration’s largest efforts yet to deport people to countries other than their own, reports BritPanorama.
The 20 deportees arrived at Roberts International Airport outside Monrovia.
Deportees will include African nationals as well as nationals from North America, South America and the Caribbean, according to Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah. Liberian Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh has indicated that they can seek asylum in the West African country if they wish.
The U.S. State Department declined to answer questions about the Liberia agreement, but stated that implementing the Trump administration’s immigration policies was a “top priority.” It emphasized its “unwavering commitment to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America’s border security.”
The U.S. Homeland Security Department did not confirm Thursday’s deportations “for operational security reasons” and referred additional inquiries to the State Department.
Third-country agreements are often shrouded in secrecy, with migrants facing deportation to countries they have never been to or where they may encounter safety risks, often leaving them with limited options other than returning to their home countries.
The Trump administration struck agreements with at least 35 countries to deport individuals who are from other nations, including Liberia and 13 other African nations, according to Third Country Deportation Watch, a collaboration of Refugees International and Human Rights First. Over 23,000 people have been deported to 26 countries under these agreements.
The U.S. State Department had previously announced Liberia’s agreement to accept deportees not originally from Liberia. However, the six-page agreement reached in September 2025 and made available on its website does not specify how many or from which countries those deportees will come.
In October 2025, Liberia offered to accept Kilmar Abrego Garcia of El Salvador, who was mistakenly deported to prison in the Central American country. Blocked from sending him to his native country, the Trump administration has expressed intentions to transfer him to a third country, including Liberia.
Abrego Garcia has stated his willingness to be deported to Costa Rica, which has agreed to accept him. However, the U.S. government has yet to facilitate this transfer. Currently, Abrego Garcia is contesting his deportation to Liberia in a federal lawsuit in Maryland.
