At least five migrants who refused to disembark a United States (US) deportation flight upon arrival in Liberia were redirected and flown to Equatorial Guinea, according to legal representatives and officials familiar with the case.
The incident occurred during an initial flight intended to transfer deportees under a newly established third-country agreement between Washington and Monrovia. Liberia had announced it agreed to receive deportees, with an initial group of 20 people scheduled to arrive.
A Liberian official confirmed that only 15 individuals disembarked from the chartered flight after it landed at Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Monrovia. The remaining five passengers, comprising three Cuban nationals, one Brazilian, and one Cameroonian, refused to leave the aircraft.
Federal agents with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) restrained the individuals during the standoff on the airport tarmac. Sources indicated that authorities initially told the passengers they were being returned to the United States, but the aircraft instead flew onward to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Upon landing in Malabo, the five migrants were forced to disembark against their will. They are currently being held alongside more than 30 other individuals previously transferred under similar arrangements.
Most third-country deportees processed under these programs have received legal protections from US immigration judges shielding them from removal to their home countries due to risks of torture or persecution. Rights groups have raised concerns over the opacity of these international agreements and the lack of legal recourse for those detained abroad.
Addressing the transfer, the US Department of State (DOS) affirmed its stance on border enforcement and immigration measures.
A spokesperson for DHS stated that all individuals involved were removed to a safe third country in compliance with judicial orders. Liberian authorities have not issued a formal statement regarding the five individuals who were re-routed.
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