The Trump administration has announced that Liberia has agreed to receive Kilmar Abrego, a Maryland resident whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador earlier this year sparked national outrage and renewed criticism of the president’s immigration policies.
According to a court filing, the Justice Department stated that Abrego could be transferred to Liberia as early as October 31. However, a temporary order from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis currently blocks his deportation while she reviews his plea for release from immigration custody, leaving uncertainty about how this new arrangement will affect the ongoing case. Abrego may also seek protection under claims of fear of persecution or torture.
Liberia’s Ministry of Information confirmed it would accept Abrego “on a strictly humanitarian and temporary basis” following Washington’s request, assuring that he would not be sent anywhere he might face harm. Prior efforts by the U.S. to secure agreements with Uganda, Eswatini, and Ghana were unsuccessful, making Liberia the first African country to comply.
Abrego, a sheet-metal worker who entered the U.S. illegally, had lived in Maryland with his wife, their child, and two stepchildren, all U.S. citizens, before his arrest and deportation to El Salvador, which violated a previous court order. He was detained in a notorious mega-prison known for brutal conditions before being returned to the United States in June.
After his return, prosecutors charged Abrego with migrant smuggling. He has pleaded not guilty, accusing the government of retaliatory prosecution.
Authorities have also linked him to the MS-13 gang, an allegation his attorneys strongly deny. A scheduled hearing on November 4–5 in Nashville to determine whether he was wrongly charged could be affected if the deportation proceeds before then.
Abrego’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, condemned the plan to send his client to Liberia, pointing out that Abrego has no connection to the country and would again be separated from his family in Maryland. Defense lawyers claim Costa Rica offered to take him in, but the U.S. government has not accepted the proposal.
The Justice Department defended its decision by citing Liberia’s historical ties with the United States, its treatment of refugees, and its human-rights record, though a 2024 State Department report still highlighted issues such as extrajudicial killings and abuses.
Officials reaffirmed that Abrego would be deported following his release from criminal custody in August, continuing the administration’s push to enforce strict immigration measures.
