The Wall Street Journal has reported that former President Donald Trump’s administration has formally approached five African countries—Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gabon, and Guinea-Bissau—with requests to receive migrants that the U.S. seeks to deport, particularly those whose home countries refuse or delay their return.
According to an internal memo and U.S. officials, the requests were made ahead of a mini-summit held at the White House on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
The proposals fall under the framework of so-called “safe third country” agreements, under which Washington asked these nations not to return the deported migrants to their original countries until their asylum claims in the U.S. are fully processed.
Trump reportedly brought up the issue during the summit, expressing hope for progress on such deals. However, no public commitments were made by the invited countries, and neither the White House nor the embassies responded to media inquiries.
This move is part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to find alternative destinations for deportations. In February, a similar agreement with Panama resulted in the transfer of over 100 migrants, most of them from the Middle East.
In May, the administration also attempted to deport eight individuals to South Sudan, although only one was born there, citing legal authority to remove convicted criminals.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently backed this policy direction, issuing a ruling that strengthens the administration’s power to carry out deportations even when lower courts oppose them—paving the way for expanded transfers to third countries.
