Trump launches the Liberian route for his migrant deportations

Founded in 1847 by freed slaves from North America who had been returned to West Africa by abolitionists, Liberia has been described as “a copy, and often a black caricature, of the United States”, even though the highly influential “Americo-Liberian” ethnic group accounts for no more than 5 per cent of the population. From the capital, named Monrovia in honour of James Monroe, President of the United States at the time of its foundation, to a flag that is the Stars and Stripes with just one star, right down to a currency called the dollar. Thus, it is perhaps not such a great surprise that Donald Trump considered it as one of the destinations to which to send ‘re-emigrants’, and that the Liberian government agreed to sign an agreement to take in 1,200 of them. The first twenty arrived last Thursday at Roberts International Airport, on the outskirts of the capital.

As explained by the Liberian Minister of Information, Jerolinmek Piah, the 1,200 deportees will include not only citizens of various African countries, but also from countries in North America, South America and the Caribbean, who will be received over the course of a year. On Tuesday, during a briefing, Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh clarified that the majority of those being deported had committed immigration-related offences and that, if they so wished, they could apply for asylum in Liberia. In exchange for the agreement, the Trump administration has agreed to extend tourist visas for Liberians from 12 to 36 months and has pledged $124 million in aid.

A key aspect of the agreements is the possibility of including migrants who hold protection orders issued by a US immigration judge, which prevent their return to their countries of origin on security grounds. Piah did not specify whether the migrants arriving in Liberia held such protection orders. She did, however, clarify that “they will be able to apply for asylum” in Liberia upon arrival, or “they will be able to leave the country whenever they wish”. She also added that Liberia will receive support from the United States to manage the programme and strengthen its immigration system. “Liberia’s gesture is purely humanitarian in nature and in line with the country’s long-standing traditions,” she said.

A new report by Refugees International and Human Rights First details the Trump Administration’s often secret agreements with at least 35 countries and notes that, since the beginning of August, around 23,000 people have been repatriated to 26 of these countries, around ten of which are in Africa. However, the agreement with Liberia is the largest single deal concluded to date.

Immigration lawyers argue that the Trump administration is using deportations to third countries as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum seekers to return to their countries of origin. In many cases, migrants are deported to countries they have never visited or where their safety is at risk.

A February report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has a Democratic majority, revealed that the Trump Administration paid over $32 million to five governments – many of which have a terrible track record on human rights – to take in around 300 deported individuals. The $1.1 million per person paid to Rwanda for seven deportees and the $7.5 million paid to Equatorial Guinea for 29 people represent a sum greater than all US aid provided to those countries over the previous eight years.

The report found that over 80 per cent of those sent to third countries had returned home anyway, often at the taxpayers’ expense. It also cited cases in which deportees, protected by a US court, were transferred to Ghana and Equatorial Guinea before being sent elsewhere within a few days. The State Department contested the account of its actions.