The West African nation of Liberia received its first group of roughly 20 "third country" deportees from the United States on Thursday, August 20, 2026. The group, which included migrants from Latin America and other nations, arrived as part of a broader agreement for Liberia to accept up to 1,200 such deportees over the next year.
U.S. officials confirmed the arrival, noting that new arrivals in Liberia will be permitted to apply for asylum there. However, the initial landing was not without incident. A U.S. official reported that after the plane carrying the deportees arrived, a small number resisted and refused to deplane. While they were initially escorted off the aircraft, they later returned to it, and their current whereabouts remain unknown.
The Trump administration has actively pursued third-country deportation agreements with dozens of nations worldwide. This strategy often targets migrants whose home countries either restrict or reject U.S. deportations, or those who have secured legal protections against being returned to their homelands. These agreements extend to various African countries, some of which are grappling with armed conflict, political instability, and human rights abuses, including South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Regular deportation flights have also been sent to Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, and other African nations that have agreed to accept deportees from countries other than their own.
Human rights activists have vehemently criticized these third-country deportations, labeling them as inhumane and illegal under international law. They argue that some countries are sending deportees back to places they originally fled due to persecution. Conversely, the Trump administration has defended the legality and merits of these deportations, presenting them as an effective measure to deter illegal immigration.
Separately, Liberia is also the intended destination for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man whom the Trump administration is attempting to deport. Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last year before being returned to the U.S. to face human smuggling charges. Efforts to deport Garcia to Liberia have been temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Maryland.
