Liberia has accepted its first 20 migrants from the US under a new deal between the two countries. According to Liberian authorities, up to 1,200 foreign nationals will be deported to Liberia within a year, with the option for them to apply for asylum or leave freely. The migrants arrived on a plane at Monrovia's international airport on Thursday and were met by staff from the Liberian Commission on Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration. Liberia claims that this partnership is "entirely humanitarian" and has not received any compensation or promises of rewards from the US in exchange for participating in the program.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
20 people from the US arrived in Liberia on Thursday as part of a deal between the two countries to take in up to 1,200 third-country deportees over the next year. The group includes migrants from Latin American countries such as Cuba and Venezuela, as well as Africans and nationals from North America, South America, and the Caribbean. This agreement is one of several made by the Trump administration with African countries to take in people who cannot be deported back to their home countries due to concerns for their safety. The Liberian government has stated that it will receive $124 million in assistance from the US as part of the arrangement, and that the deportees will be allowed to apply for asylum or depart the country freely. A US official reported that a small group of migrants initially refused to deplane upon arrival, but were eventually escorted back onto the plane.
Written for “US Deports to Liberia” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 1740 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-31
Authorities in Monrovia announced on Tuesday the country would accept up to 1,200 foreign nationals deported from the US within a year.
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country → announce → year
Twenty migrants deported from the United States have arrived in Liberia, the first of up to 1,200 foreign nationals the west African country has agreed to accept.
Liberia is the latest African country to agree to take in migrants deported under US President Donald Trump's contested immigration crackdown.
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Liberia → deport → crackdown
A plane bringing the 20 people touched down at the country's international airport shortly before 1:00 pm local time on Thursday.
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plane → bring → Thursday
They boarded a bus, which then left the airport near the capital, Monrovia.
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which → board → capital
Staff from the Liberian Commission on Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration were seen taking care of the new arrivals.
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Staff → see → arrivals
Reporters were kept at a distance and could not talk to them.
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Reporters → keep → them
Liberia announced on Tuesday it would accept up to 1,200 foreign nationals deported from the US within a year.
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it → announce → year
It said they were "free to depart the country when they so desire" or apply for asylum.
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they → say → asylum
The government said it "has not demanded or received any compensation or promise of rewards in exchange for its consent to participate in the programme."
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it → say → programme
"Liberia will receive support to help manage this programme and strengthen its migration system more generally" as part of this partnership, the government said, which it describes as "entirely humanitarian."
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it → receive → which
In his second term, Trump has expanded who is eligible for deportation, targeting those with legal protections that under previous administrations allowed them to live and work in the US for fear of persecution in their home countries.
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them → expand → countries
Washington has argued that legally it is only barred from sending such people directly to their home countries.
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it → argue → countries
Other African countries that have reached agreements with Washington to accept deported third-party nationals include Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, Cameroon, Eswatini and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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that → reach → Congo
