By Andrew Goudsward and Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON/MONROVIA (Reuters) -Donald Trump's administration said on Friday it has reached an agreement with Liberia to accept Kilmar Abrego, the migrant whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador in March became a flashpoint in the Republican president's immigration crackdown.
The Justice Department said in a court filing that Abrego could be deported to the African country as soon as October 31.
Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has temporarily blocked
the U.S. government from deporting Abrego while she considers his bid to be released from immigration detention. It is unclear how the administration's agreement with Liberia will influence the judge's decision.
Abrego also could seek to challenge his removal by claiming fear of torture or persecution.
Liberia said it agreed to take Abrego "on a strictly humanitarian and temporary basis" following a request from the United States. Liberia's information ministry said in a statement that it would ensure that Abrego is not removed to "any country where he may face substantial risk of persecution, torture or other serious harm."
Liberia is the first country in Africa to agree to accept Abrego after the administration unsuccessfully floated Uganda, Eswatini and Ghana as options for a potential second deportation.
Abrego, a sheet metal worker who entered the United States illegally, had been living in Maryland with his wife, their child and two of her children - all of whom are American citizens - when he was arrested and sent to his native El Salvador.
He was deported to El Salvador, where he spent time in a mega-prison known for its harsh conditions, in violation of a prior U.S. court order.
Abrego was sent back to the United States in June, and Trump's Justice Department brought criminal charges accusing him of smuggling migrants. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have accused the administration of vindictive prosecution. The administration also has said Abrego was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation his lawyers deny.
A lawyer for Abrego, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said Abrego has no personal connection to Liberia, and added that the country is far from his wife and children in Maryland.
"The government has chosen yet another path that feels designed to inflict maximum hardship," Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a statement. "Their actions are punitive, cruel and unconstitutional."
His lawyers in the past have accused the administration of violating Abrego's rights to due process under the U.S. Constitution.
A deportation in the coming days could also impact a court hearing in his criminal case scheduled for November 4 and 5 in Nashville, Tennessee, that will examine whether Abrego was improperly charged in retaliation for his decision to bring a legal challenge to his March deportation. Abrego's lawyers have sought testimony from several Justice Department officials.
The administration vowed to remove Abrego again from the United States after he was released from criminal custody in August. Abrego's lawyers have indicated a preference for Costa Rica, a Spanish-speaking country in Central America that has said it would take in Abrego, but the administration has so far not agreed to send him there.
The Justice Department highlighted Liberia's historic ties to the United States, its "humane treatment of refugees" and its "robust" human rights protections. A 2024 U.S. State Department report flagged significant rights issues in the West African country, including extrajudicial killings.
Liberia was one of five African countries the Trump administration pressed in July to accept migrants being deported to countries other than their own.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Ted Hesson in Washington and Alphonso Toweh in Monrovia; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Will Dunham)
