U.S. carries out first deportations to Liberia under pact for 1,200 non-Liberians

HARBEL, Liberia - The United States on Thursday carried out its first deportation under an agreement for Liberia to accept up to 1,200 people who are not from the African country, the Associated Press reported.

Twenty deportees arrived at Roberts International Airport outside Monrovia. Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah said future arrivals will include African nationals as well as people from North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh said they could seek asylum in Liberia if they wished.

The State Department declined to answer detailed questions about the Liberia pact but said implementing the Trump administration's immigration policies is a top priority and that the U.S. remains committed to ending illegal mass immigration and strengthening border security. The Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm Thursday's flight for operational security reasons and referred questions to State.

Piah previously said Liberia expects to receive the 1,200 people within a year and will get U.S. support to manage the program. He described the arrangement as humanitarian and in line with Liberian tradition. Tweh said Liberia screened the migrant list and that most had immigration violations or offenses.

Third-country removal deals have become a major tool of the administration's enforcement strategy. AP reported that more than 23,000 people have been deported to 26 countries under such agreements. A six-page Liberia agreement reached in September 2025 and posted online did not state how many people or which nationalities would be covered. Thursday's flight turns that paper pact into an operating pipeline.