5 Deportees Refuse Liberia Entry on U.S. Flight of 20, Flown to Equatorial Guinea
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Aug 30
5 Deportees Refuse Liberia Entry on U.S. Flight of 20, Flown to Equatorial Guinea
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Aug 30
Summary
Five of 20 people deported from the United States to Liberia on Aug. 20 refused to leave the plane in Monrovia and were flown on to Equatorial Guinea, leaving Liberia with 15 arrivals.
Liberia’s information minister confirmed only the 15 received deportees and said the U.S. Embassy must explain the other five, underscoring how little the government has disclosed about identities or whereabouts.
The flight was the first visible test of Liberia’s new deal to accept up to 1,200 third-country nationals from the U.S. within a year, the largest such arrangement with an African country since Trump tightened migration policy.
Human rights groups say Washington has sent more than 23,000 people to 26 third countries since early 2025, including more than 330 to African states, often involving migrants shielded from return to their home countries.
In Liberia, the arrangement has triggered demands for transparency over legal authority, capacity and possible U.S. incentives, with U.S. records indicating $5 million for migration management despite Monrovia’s denial of any quid pro quo.