미국서 추방되는 이주자 1200명, 라이베리아가 받는다

The Liberian government has agreed to receive up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States, according to the Associated Press. This is the largest agreement of its kind, as part of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies. Liberian Ambassador to the United States, Jeroline Mek, stated that the deportees will be received within a year, with 20 arriving on the 20th.

Ambassador Mek added that the 1,200 deportees will include not only African nationals but also those from North, South, and Caribbean nations. The United States has deported an estimated few hundred people to approximately 20 countries other than its own, with about 10 of these being African nations. Immigration law experts have criticized the Trump administration for abusing third-country deportations to indirectly send asylum seekers back to their home countries, often where they face safety risks.

Many of these individuals are refused protection by U.S. immigration courts, leaving them with no other options but to return to their home country. The agreement's core contention is whether deportees protected by U.S. immigration courts from being sent back to their home countries will be included. Liberian Ambassador to the United States, Jeroline Mek, did not disclose whether such protection orders have been issued for the deportees.

National Security Minister Natu Oswald Twene announced that before their arrival, a list of deportees has been vetted, with most being individuals who have violated immigration laws or committed crimes. He added that deportees can choose to leave Liberia at any time after their arrival and will receive necessary assistance to safely stay in the country.

Liberia, established in 1847 by American freed slaves and free black Africans in West Africa, has a close historical relationship with the United States.