Trump Admin To Send Migrants To Libya On Military Flights: Reports

The Trump management whitethorn nonstop deported migrants to Libya arsenic soon arsenic Wednesday, May 7, according to a trio of U.S. officials who said pinch Reuters connected nan information of anonymity. It would people nan first clip immigrants are sent to Libya, and comes pursuing President Donald Trump’s erstwhile criticism of Libya’s abusive curen toward detained migrants.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters nan U.S. subject whitethorn statesman flying migrants to Libya by Wednesday, but emphasized that plans are still fluid.

Currently, it’s unclear how galore immigrants would beryllium sent to Libya aliases what their nations of root are. The Pentagon, White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) person yet to remark connected nan reports.

A State Department spokesperson told Reuters, “We do not talk specifications of negotiated communications pinch different governments.”

How Libya is responding

However, Libya’s Government connected National Unity announced connected Wednesday that it rejects nan usage of nan state arsenic a spot to deport migrants coming from nan United States, and said it did not person nonstop knowledge of nan matter, has not agreed and is not coordinating pinch American officials erstwhile it comes to taking successful migrants.

The Libyan National Army which controls nan eastbound portion of nan federation besides denied it plans to return successful immoderate undocumented immigrants from nan U.S. arguing it “violates nan sovereignty of nan homeland.”

Part of a larger effort

DHS reported earlier during nan week of May 4 that nan Trump management has deported much than 150,000 group since he took agency successful January.

President Trump has tried a number of strategies to initiate wide deportations, including incentivizing migrants to time off voluntarily and threatening them pinch important fines, arsenic good arsenic deporting migrants to Guantanamo Bay and a maximum information situation successful El Salvador.

Immigration

As of nan extremity of April, 2025, nan Trump management reports that it has deported complete 150,000 group successful nan United States illegally.

Trump management officials person expressed a desire to not only nonstop migrants to El Salvador but different countries truthful it tin grow its deportation efforts. A U.S. charismatic told Reuters that nan management is looking astatine a number of nations to deport migrants, including Libya.

Conditions successful Libya

The U.S. State Department past twelvemonth recovered “harsh and life-threatening situation conditions” arsenic good arsenic “arbitrary arrests and detention” successful Libya. The state has besides been criticized by quality authorities advocates for its mediocre curen of migrants. The section presently advises Americans against visiting nan nation because of rampant “crime, civilian unrest, kidnapping and equipped conflict.” The state has been successful turmoil arsenic rival factions power nan eastbound and westbound of nan state pinch equipped conflicts arising astatine times.

The legality

It’s unclear if nan Trump administration’s imaginable move to nonstop migrants is executable, arsenic nan U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted nan deportation of Venezuelan migrants accused of pack affiliation to El Salvador by Trump, utilizing nan rarely-employed Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to initiate nan process. It’s besides chartless what nan owed process for migrants sent connected imaginable deportation flights to Libya would look like.