U.S. President Donald Trump may start deporting migrants to Libya on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Officials who spoke to Reuters said the U.S government may fly the migrants to Libya using military planes, stressing that plans could still change.
However, details of the number and background of the migrants that will be sent to the North African country remain scanty.
Trump has launched a crackdown on illegal migrants since taking over his second term at the White House.
His administration has so far deported 152,000 people as of Monday, May 5.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S was not satisfied with sending migrants to El Salvador.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Rubio said the U.S government was looking to expand the number of countries where it may deport people to.
“We are working with other countries to say: We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings, will you do this as a favor to us. And the further away from America, the better,” Rubio said.
However, he did not name the countries in his speech.
In April, The Wall Street Journal reported that some of the countries in discussions with the U.S include Libya, Rwanda, Benin, Eswatini, Moldova, Mongolia, and Kosovo.
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Trump Talks with Rwanda
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe confirmed that his government was in early talks with Trump’s administration regarding taking in third-country nationals deported from the U.S.
“We are now in talks with the U.S. about a deal on migration,” he said.
Nduhungirehe said plans weren’t concrete yet but noted that Rwanda has experience in taking in migrants, saying, “it’s not the first time that we’d be engaging in such a kind of deal.”
“It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing … still in the early stages,” Nduhungirehe said.
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U.S Warns Citizens Against Traveling to Libya
Libya has been in turmoil since a NATO-backed uprising killed Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
On August 1, 2024, the U.S government warned its citizens against travelling to Libya due to crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.
The U.S Department of State said crime levels in Libya remain high, including the threat of kidnapping for ransom.
“U.S. citizens have been targets of these crimes,” the Department of State said.
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