As President Trump met Wednesday with the leaders of five West African nations, his administration was pressing them to accept migrants deported by the U.S. whose home countries have been unwilling or slow to take them back, according to an internal document and current and former U.S. officials.
Ahead of the White House summit with the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gabon, and Guinea-Bissau—gathered to discuss economic and security issues—the State Department sent formal requests to each government, urging them to receive deported migrants. The move highlights how the administration’s hardline deportation agenda is intertwined with broader foreign policy efforts.
During the summit, Trump appeared to reference the requests. “I hope we can bring down the high rates of people overstaying visas, and also make progress on the safe third country agreements,” he said in his opening remarks.
According to an internal State Department document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. proposal asked these countries to allow the “dignified, safe, and timely transfer from the United States” of migrants who are nationals of other countries. Under the plan, the receiving governments would agree not to send those individuals back to their home countries or countries of previous residence until their U.S. asylum claims had been fully resolved.
It remains unclear whether any of the West African leaders agreed to the proposal. None of them mentioned it during the public portions of Wednesday’s meeting.
The White House and State Department declined to comment on the document or the outreach to the African nations. Embassies representing Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gabon, and Guinea-Bissau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Since securing a deal with Panama in February—under which over 100 migrants, mostly from the Middle East, were flown to the Central American country—the administration has continued to seek additional nations willing to receive deported migrants.