The Trump administration has urged five visiting African presidents to accept migrants deported from the United States—even when those migrants are not their own nationals—under proposed “safe third country” deals, two officials familiar with the talks told Reuters.
The pitch was delivered at Wednesday’s White House meeting with the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon. A U.S. official said Liberia is already “preparing to accommodate” deportees in Monrovia, though no government has publicly endorsed the plan. The White House and the five capitals declined comment.
President Donald Trump, flanked by senior Africa adviser Massad Boulos and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller, told the leaders he wants to shift U.S. policy from aid to trade while also “making progress on safe third-country agreements.” An internal State Department memo, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, asked the countries to guarantee the “dignified, safe and timely transfer” of third-country nationals and to refrain from sending them on to their homelands until U.S. asylum claims are resolved.
The push follows Trump’s broader effort to accelerate deportations. On Saturday, eight migrants from six countries were flown to South Sudan after losing a U.S. court battle to block their removal.
Whether any of the five nations will sign on to Washington’s proposal remains unclear.