Liberia received 15 of 20 US deportees, sources say

Liberia received only 15 of 20 migrants deported from the United States on the first flight under an agreement to take up to 1,200 foreign nationals, after five passengers refused to leave the plane, a Liberian government source told AFP.

Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah said on Tuesday that the five “were not given to us” and that Liberia was not responsible for explaining what happened to them. The first group had been expected to land last Thursday.

Liberia is among African countries accepting migrants the United States cannot legally send to their home countries under President Donald Trump's contested immigration crackdown. Liberia said last week the deportees would be free to leave the country or apply for asylum.

Piah said Liberia had no clear schedule for the next group or how many people it would include. He said Liberia “will not spend a dime” on anything related to the 1,200 people expected and that the United States government was covering the costs.

The Liberian government has said it did not demand or receive compensation or promised rewards for taking part in the transfers. The New York Times reported that the United States made a $5 million payment to Liberia, citing documents approved by the State Department in response to Liberia's commitment to consider accepting deportees.