Liberia on Thursday took in its first deportation flight from the United States, part of a new arrangement with Washington under which the West African country could receive as many as 1,200 foreign nationals over the next year.
Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah told Reuters the flight was expected to carry 20 deportees, most of them from Latin American countries including Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia.
Liberian officials said many of those transferred were sent to the country so they could seek protection from removal to their homelands, after judges found they could face torture or other mistreatment if returned. The government has framed the arrivals as consistent with Liberia’s long history of offering refuge to displaced people.
The migrants will be allowed to leave Liberia if they choose or pursue formal asylum, officials said. They are also expected to receive assistance from the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. refugee agency, according to officials cited by Reuters.
The first group of 20 deportees had been expected to arrive on Thursday. (REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon)
Reuters reported that the aircraft left Louisiana, made a stop in Senegal and then landed in Monrovia at 12:45 p.m. local time.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Liberia pointed to its record of welcoming people “seeking refuge from political and other crises” and said no one would be repatriated before the conclusion of legal proceedings.
“The Government of the Republic of Liberia agrees not to return any person transferred to Liberia by the Government of the United States of America to their home country or country of former habitual residence until a final decision has been made regarding any pending protection claims,” officials said.
“The Government wants to emphasize that those being brought to Liberia are not criminals and are not being prosecuted in any manner under United States or Liberian law. They are being received as guests of the Republic of Liberia,” officials said.
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A plane carrying deportees from the United States arrives at Roberts International Airport, Harbel, near Monrovia, Liberia, August 20, 2026. (REUTERS/Carielle Doe)
Liberia said it is not demanding compensation under the deal but will receive “support to help manage the program and strengthen its migration system more broadly.”
Reuters said the U.S. awarded Liberia $5 million this year for “migration management activities.”
Liberia’s agreement to accept up to 1,200 deportees makes it one of the largest such deals on the African continent.
Security guards stand outside a building near Roberts International Airport as deportees from the United States arrive, in Harbel, near Monrovia, Liberia, August 20, 2026. (REUTERS/Carielle Doe)
The U.S. also reached agreements with several other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone, Reuters said.
