Liberia will welcome up to 1,200 people deported from the United States.

The Liberian government indicated on Tuesday, August 18, that the transfers will take place over a period of one year. The individuals concerned will be able to leave Liberia at their convenience or apply for asylum, according to an official statement quoted by RFI.

Washington has not immediately reacted to this announcement. However, American authorities defend the principle of deportation to third countries for individuals who cannot be returned directly to their country of origin, particularly when they have protections related to risks of persecution.

The first twenty deportees are set to arrive in Liberia on Thursday, August 20. Their nationality and the precise details of their care have not been specified in the Liberian government’s statement.

Monrovia denies any financial agreement

Liberia insists that it did not seek or receive any “compensation or promise of reward” in exchange for its agreement. The country does specify, however, that it will benefit from support aimed at managing the system and more broadly strengthening its migration framework.

Monrovia presents this partnership as a “fully humanitarian” operation. The authorities have not disclosed the amount of American support nor clarified its legal form or the exact terms of its disbursement.

According to the New York Times, the Donald Trump administration would particularly like to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who has become one of the symbols of American deportation policy, to Liberia. He had been mistakenly sent back to El Salvador before being brought back to the United States. This potential measure has not been officially confirmed by Washington or Monrovia.

This decision comes as the United States seeks to increase opportunities for sending back individuals who are undocumented or protected from direct deportation to their country of origin. According to an AFP investigation, the American administration has reportedly proposed several million dollar agreements to several third countries and has also threatened some states with visa restrictions to encourage them to accept these transfers.

Ghana and Equatorial Guinea have already been cited as transit points for individuals deported by the United States. Other African nationals or individuals from other regions have also been transferred to the continent as part of this policy.