Twenty people sent from the United States to Liberia arrived at Roberts International Airport near Monrovia on Thursday under an arrangement allowing Liberia to receive up to 1,200 people over 12 months. The group includes people who are not Liberian citizens, but officials have not explained where they are staying, what legal documents they hold or whether they can leave.
Liberia’s government describes those transferred as “guests of the Republic” who are not detained and may seek asylum. Families in the United States say they have been unable to learn where their relatives were taken or what happens to them next.
What Liberia has confirmed
Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah said Liberia’s decision was humanitarian and linked it to the country’s history as a settlement for free and formerly enslaved Black people from the United States, as well as its experience of citizens seeking protection abroad during the civil war. He said the US government and an international partner organisation would pay for accommodation, food and eventual onward travel.
Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh said Liberia reviews passenger lists and can reject people. He described most of those transferred as people with immigration violations and offences. The government has not published its screening criteria or identified the organisation managing or funding the stay.
Related coverage: Liberia receives first group in planned transfer of up to 1,200 US deportees.
Why the arrivals’ status is disputed
Monrovia-based lawyer Samwar Fallah, who is assisting families alongside two US immigration lawyers, said it is unclear whether the arrivals are free to choose where they go, settle in Liberia or eventually return to the United States. It is also unclear whether they entered on temporary permits, can work, or must apply for asylum or residency.
Fallah said most of the people are nationals of Latin American countries, including Venezuela and Cuba. Officials did not allow journalists to speak with them at the airport; they boarded a bus and left under official supervision. A report that five people refused to leave the plane and were taken to Equatorial Guinea has not been independently verified.
Questions over approval and oversight
Liberian politicians say they were not consulted before the government announced the arrangement on Tuesday, two days before the flight. Nimba County Senator Samuel Kogar cited Article 57 of Liberia’s constitution, which requires the concurrence of a majority of each legislative house for treaties, conventions and similar agreements involving foreign affairs.
More context: Chad begins process to leave International Criminal Court citing bias concerns.
The government says the arrangement is based on diplomatic notes exchanged on September 4 and September 10 of the previous year. The legislature is on a break until October. Representative Anthony F Williams said he plans to seek answers about housing, healthcare, screening and Liberia’s authority to detain or remove anyone. Civil society groups have also called for independent monitoring of living conditions, spending and legal compliance.
A wider diplomatic debate
The government says Liberia received no payment or diplomatic reward for accepting the transfers. Critics want the negotiations disclosed, particularly alongside a five-year, $124m health memorandum signed by the United States and Liberia on December 9, 2025, extended US visitor visas for Liberians and a $5m US award to Liberia this year for migration management.
Neither government has publicly established a direct link between those measures, a halt to migrant visas for Liberians in January and the deportation arrangement. Critics say transparency is needed to determine whether any policy benefits were connected to accepting people whose backgrounds and legal status have not been publicly detailed.
No comments yet. Start the discussion.