US sends 20 deportees to Liberia, part of 1,200 migrants the country will receive under new deal

The 20 deportees arrived at Roberts International Airport outside Monrovia.

Until now, Mexicans deported from the United States were sent almost exclusively back to their country by air and land.

Authorities in Liberia received the country’s first deportation flight from the U.S. on Thursday under an agreement with Washington to accept up to 1,200 foreign nationals over the next year.

The United States has sent about 2,300 Mexican nationals to Guatemala, despite objections from the Mexican government, as President Donald Trump steps up deportations.