By: Staff Reporter – TPA News Desk | Opinion Editorial | editor@thepointafricanews.com

Recent reports have placed Liberia at the center of a controversial U.S. deportation proposal. A confidential memo from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), dated July 9, 2025, outlines a policy allowing migrants—including non-U.S. citizens—to be deported to third countries with as little as six hours’ notice, provided those countries assure they will not face persecution or torture .

According to a Reuters report published on July 10, 2025, the Trump administration presented this plan to five African leaders—including Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai—during their visit to the White House. The U.S. urged these nations to accept migrants from third countries who are deported from the United States, particularly in cases where returning them to their countries of origin proves difficult .

As of now, Liberia has not publicly committed to participating in this plan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued an official statement confirming or denying involvement, and no formal agreement has been signed.

If discussions are underway, they must not take place behind closed doors. Accepting deported migrants—even if the country pledges protection—would carry significant implications under international law. Liberia would need to ensure legal rights, housing, health services, due process, and durable integration options for individuals who may have no ties to the country.

Experience from other safe-third-country agreements—such as those struck by the U.S. with Guatemala and El Salvador—shows that without full transparency and infrastructure, hosting nations often bear disproportionate burdens while shouldering heavy diplomatic pressure. Liberia must avoid walking this path without robust preparation.

At the heart of this issue is not only capacity—though our infrastructure remains strained—but courage, clarity, and accountability. If discussions are underway, Liberia must urgently inform its legislative branches and civil society, initiating parliamentary oversight and public engagement. Any decision to participate should be legally documented as a formal agreement, not a verbal understanding handed down in diplomatic corridors.

Liberia’s sovereignty and international standing depend on how it handles this. We cannot afford to appear passive or uninformed on matters that test our legal obligations, political maturity, and moral integrity. Any signed agreement must be rooted in transparency, resources, and national consensus—not left to speculation or foreign design.

Are we a country guided by principle and preparation, or one led by silent acquiescence?

Sources:

Reuters. “Trump presses African leaders to take deported migrants, sources say,” July 10, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/trump-presses-african-leaders-take-deported-migrants-sources-say-2025-07-10/

Reuters. “ICE may deport migrants to countries other than their own with just six hours’ notice, memo says,” July 13, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ice-may-deport-migrants-countries-other-than-their-own-with-just-six-hours-2025-07-13/