Plans by the United States to deport migrants to Libya have ignited international concern and legal action, after lawyers revealed that individuals from Asia were told they would be removed to the North African nation despite having no ties there.
According to attorneys, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents informed some detainees, including individuals from Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines, of their scheduled deportation to Libya or, in some cases, to Saudi Arabia. These revelations emerged amid intensified deportation efforts under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has sought to carry out third-country removals, including previously sending Venezuelans to El Salvador and others to Panama and Costa Rica.
In one alarming report, immigration officers gathered six detainees in southern Texas and urged them to sign documents agreeing to be sent to Libya. When they refused, attorneys stated in a court filing, “they were each put in a separate room and cuffed in (basically, solitary) in order to get them to sign it.”
In another case, a lawyer wrote to ICE officials in San Antonio on behalf of a Filipino client, warning that “he fears being removed to Libya and must therefore be provided with an interview before any removal occurs.”
These developments prompted immigration lawyers to seek urgent intervention from U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts, who has overseen a lawsuit against the government’s third-country deportation policies. Murphy had previously ruled that even when migrants have exhausted their appeals, they must be granted “a meaningful opportunity” to contest deportation to a country other than their homeland.
On Wednesday, May 7, Murphy stated that any “allegedly imminent” removal to Libya would “clearly violate this Court’s Order,” and ordered the federal government to provide more details on the planned removals.
Libya Denies Agreement With U.S.
As the legal battle unfolds, Libya has publicly denied any agreement with the U.S. to accept deported migrants. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s Tripoli-based government released a statement saying there was “no deal or coordination” to receive deportees.
However, the statement left open the possibility that “some parallel parties” may have reached such an agreement—a likely reference to Libya’s rival administration in the east.
This rival faction, led by military commander Khalifa Hifter and the self-styled Libya National Army (LNA), controls vast swathes of eastern and southern Libya.
“There won’t be any acceptance or reception of them (the migrants) on the territories secured by the Libyan Armed Forces whatever the reasons and justifications are.”
Libya National Army
Libya has been engulfed in turmoil since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. The country remains fractured between opposing governments and armed militias, with the east and west frequently at odds and influenced by foreign powers.
The prospect of deporting migrants to Libya is particularly alarming to human rights groups. The United Nations has repeatedly documented severe abuses in Libyan detention centers, including torture, rape, extrajudicial killings, and enslavement. Some migrants have described being tortured for ransom, with their families extorted for money as they were beaten. Investigators have found signs of both old and new injuries, including bullet wounds and knife scars on their limbs and faces.
Despite growing scrutiny, the Trump administration has remained tight-lipped about Libya’s inclusion in its third-country deportation plans. When asked on Wednesday whether Libya was among the countries considered for removals, the administration offered no clear response. President Trump referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said at a press event that she “can’t confirm” reports of deportation plans involving Libya.
The State Department similarly declined to elaborate, saying it does not “discuss the details of our diplomatic communications with other governments.”
As fears mount over forced removals to Libya, legal and humanitarian advocates warn that such actions could expose vulnerable individuals to grave danger in one of the world’s most unstable regions.
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