The United States deported 20 migrants to Liberia on Thursday under a controversial agreement allowing the West African nation to accept up to 1,200 people who are not Liberian citizens. This marks the first deportation under the pact and represents one of the Trump administration’s largest third-country deportation efforts to date.

Third-Country Deportation Program Expands

The deportees arrived at Roberts International Airport outside Monrovia, Liberia’s capital. According to Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah, the group will include African nationals along with people from North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Liberian Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh confirmed deportees can apply for asylum in Liberia if they choose. The September 2025 agreement between the two nations does not specify which countries the deportees will originate from or provide detailed numbers beyond the 1,200-person cap.

The Trump administration has secured third-country deportation agreements with at least 35 nations, including 14 African countries, according to Third Country Deportation Watch, a partnership between Refugees International and Human Rights First. More than 23,000 people have been deported to 26 countries under these arrangements. Both the State Department and Homeland Security Department declined to provide specific details about the Liberia agreement, citing operational security and privacy concerns.

Controversial Case Highlights Legal Questions

The Liberia agreement gained attention when the country offered to accept Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvador native mistakenly deported to prison in his home country. Unable to return Garcia to El Salvador, the administration identified Liberia as a deportation destination. Garcia has agreed to deportation to Costa Rica, which has offered to accept him, but the government has refused to send him there. He is currently fighting deportation to Liberia through a federal lawsuit in Maryland.

Secrecy Surrounds Deportation Agreements

Third-country deportation agreements typically operate with minimal transparency. Migrants have been sent to countries where they face safety risks or have no prior connection, often leaving them with limited options beyond attempting to return to the countries they originally fled. The State Department emphasized that implementing the administration’s immigration policies remains a top priority, stating the government remains committed to ending illegal immigration and strengthening border security. Critics argue these agreements violate international humanitarian standards by potentially exposing deportees to dangerous conditions in unfamiliar nations where they lack family ties, language skills, or support networks.