Twenty migrants deported from the United States arrived in Liberia on Thursday, marking the first group to enter the West African country under an agreement to receive as many as 1,200 foreign nationals from the US.
The arrivals are part of a controversial US immigration policy under President Donald Trump that has expanded the number of people facing deportation to countries other than their nations of origin.
The aircraft carrying the 20 migrants landed at Liberia’s international airport shortly before 1pm local time.
After disembarking, the migrants were taken onto a bus, which subsequently left the airport for an undisclosed destination near the capital, Monrovia.
Officials of Liberia’s Commission on Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration were present at the airport and took responsibility for the new arrivals.
Journalists were prevented from approaching the migrants and were unable to establish their identities or speak with them.
The Liberian government announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to receive up to 1,200 foreign nationals deported from the United States over a 12-month period.
According to the government, those transferred to Liberia would be free to leave the country whenever they wished or seek asylum if they met the relevant requirements.
The government also said it had not sought or received financial compensation or other rewards in return for participating in the arrangement.
Liberia is the latest African country to become involved in the Trump administration’s expanded deportation programme, which has drawn criticism over the transfer of migrants to countries with which they may have no prior connection.
Since returning to office, Trump has broadened the scope of his immigration enforcement efforts, including targeting some migrants who previously benefited from legal protections that allowed them to remain and work in the United States because of concerns about persecution or insecurity in their home countries.
The US government has maintained that its legal obligations prevent it from directly returning certain individuals to countries where they could face persecution, while arguing that deportation to a third country can provide an alternative.