U.S. Pays Liberia $5 Million to Take 1,200 Deportees
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
U.S. Pays Liberia $5 Million to Take 1,200 Deportees
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Summary
$5 million was approved by the State Department for Liberia after it agreed to accept up to 1,200 deportees from the United States over the next year.
The deal supports the Trump administration's push to remove migrants who cannot legally be sent to their home countries, including some who could face persecution there.
Liberia received the grant after assuring Washington that deportees would not face persecution based on race or religion; the U.S. deemed those guarantees credible.
The money can be used to bolster Liberia's immigration system and aid vulnerable migrants with shelter, food and job training, as the first group arrived near Monrovia on Thursday.
The Liberia arrangement is one of the largest known U.S. third-country deportation deals and adds to scrutiny from human rights groups over sending migrants to countries where they have no ties.