Liberia agrees to receive deportees from the US, joining a growing list of African nations accepting undocumented immigrants who are being expelled by American President Donald Trump’s administration.
The authorities said Friday it will receive El Salvador citizen Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia on a strictly humanitarian and temporary basis following a formal request from the United States – the first for the West African nation after President Trump made the request during summit with select African leaders.
Some U.S. officials publicly accused Kilmar of violent wrongdoing and being a member of a designated foreign terrorist organization. Court hearings have not corroborated the allegations.
“The decision came after extensive consultations with relevant national and international stakeholders and was guided by international humanitarian norms and Liberia’s tradition of offering refuge in times of distress,” the Ministry of Information said in a statement.
The arrangement is voluntary, temporary and will be implemented in coordination with the U.S. Department of State and Liberian security, immigration and justice authorities,’ it said.
The ministry spelled out a number of safeguards that will govern Mr. Abrego Garcia’s arrival and stay, including comprehensive security screening and vetting by Liberian authorities, respect for due process and human rights, a non-refoulement assurance preventing his return to any country where he could face persecution or torture, and coordination with the United Nations and other partners to pursue durable, lawful solutions such as resettlement or transfer where appropriate.
The announcement comes amid controversy after senior U.S. officials and media reports associated Mr. Abrego Garcia with serious allegations. A spokesperson for the White House communications team, Karoline Leavitt, publicly alleged involvement by Mr. Abrego Garcia in human trafficking.
Media reporting cited a Tennessee highway patrol stop in December 2022 in which a Department of Homeland Security report said Mr. Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding and lane violations and that there were eight other people in the vehicle without luggage — circumstances that initially prompted a trafficking inquiry.
However, the Liberian statement and other publicly available records note there was no criminal case filed against Mr. Abrego Garcia stemming from that Tennessee stop.
A representative identified in local reporting as Ms. Vasquez Sura said Mr. Abrego Garcia worked in construction and sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, arguing that such activity could plausibly explain the circumstances of the traffic stop.
Liberia’s government emphasized that the reception is being undertaken “solely on humanitarian grounds” and said it welcomed the United States’ acknowledgement of the act.
The ministry said it would ensure the highest standards of safety, transparency and humane treatment while coordinating closely with U.S. counterparts and international partners.
Trump has cracked down on undocumented migrants since returning to the White House in January and his administration has negotiated agreements to send them to countries other than their own.
The US government argues the people it’s deporting include dangerous criminals, but civil rights groups say the practice will have a greater impact on law-abiding noncitizens who are at risk of being sent to unfamiliar places with little, if any, recourse.
