‘Not a small issue’: People deported by US to Liberia face uncertain future

A group of 20 individuals, deported from the United States to Liberia, are facing an uncertain future as their legal status in the West African nation remains undefined. Lawyer Samwar Fallah, based in Monrovia, has been contacted by families in the US seeking information about their relatives, who are not citizens of Liberia. Fallah confirmed the group arrived at Roberts International Airport but has no information on their whereabouts, freedom of movement, or legal standing.

The arrival marks the first group transferred under an agreement allowing Liberia to receive up to 1,200 deportees from the US over the next year. While the Liberian government announced the move, politicians stated they were not consulted. Fallah, working with US immigration lawyers, is trying to determine if the individuals can settle in Liberia, choose their own destinations, or eventually return to the US, but he has no answers.

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You cannot relocate a citizen from one country to another without clear information as to why that person has been relocated. Imagine you coming from maybe El Salvador and then you find out you are on a plane to Liberia.

Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah described the arrangement as humanitarian, stating the deportees are "guests of the Republic" and are free to leave and seek asylum. He linked the decision to Liberia's historical role as a settlement for Black people from the US and its tradition of offering protection to those seeking refuge. Piah also clarified that the US government and an international partner organization would cover accommodation, food, and onward travel costs, not Liberia.

However, the lack of clear information from the government has raised concerns about executive power, national sovereignty, and the rights of those transferred. The arrangement, which involves deporting individuals to a country other than their own citizenship, has prompted questions about the process and the implications for the deportees, who are being sent to a country they have no ties to.

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Liberia’s gesture is entirely humanitarian and in keeping with the country’s longstanding traditions.