US sends 20 deportees to Liberia, part of 1,200 migrants the country will receive under new deal

HARBEL, Liberia (AP) — The United States sent 20 deportees to Liberia on Thursday, as part of a larger agreement to receive 1,200 migrants from various regions. The deportees landed at Roberts International Airport outside Monrovia. The new deal involves the largest third-country deportations under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah revealed that the 1,200 deportees will comprise African nationals, along with those from North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Liberian Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh stated that the majority of the deportees had committed migration-related violations and offenses, and they may seek asylum in Liberia if they desire.

The Trump administration has been involved in a series of often-secret agreements, deporting thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries, with about 10 of them in Africa. Immigration lawyers claim that these deportations to third countries serve as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum-seekers back to their home countries.

Many migrants are deported to countries they've never been to or where they face safety risks, leaving them with limited options other than returning to their home countries they fled from.