Liberia has agreed to accept up to 1,200 migrants deported from the United States under a controversial third-country arrangement promoted by the administration of US President Donald Trump, placing the West African nation at the center of a growing international debate over the legality, ethics and humanitarian consequences of Washington’s immigration policy.

Under the agreement, the first group of 20 migrants is expected to arrive in Liberia on August 21. Liberia’s Ministry of Information announced the arrangement on August 18, saying the transfers would take place over a period of one year and would involve medically cleared migrants from African and Western Hemisphere countries.

The agreement represents a significant expansion of the US administration’s efforts to remove migrants from American territory, including people who cannot immediately be returned to their countries of citizenship. Instead of deporting such individuals directly to their home countries, Washington has increasingly sought agreements with other governments willing to receive them.

Liberian authorities have emphasized that the people being transferred should not be regarded as criminals. According to the government, they will be treated as guests rather than prisoners and will receive protection and support while in Liberia.

The migrants will also have options under the arrangement. Those who arrive in Liberia may apply for asylum there or choose to leave the country voluntarily. The government has described the policy as a humanitarian undertaking rather than an immigration enforcement arrangement.

Liberia has particularly stressed that it did not enter the agreement in exchange for financial compensation.

“The arrangement is not a transaction with a quid pro quo,” the Liberian government said, insisting that it “has not demanded or received any compensation or promise of reward.” At the same time, Monrovia acknowledged that it would receive assistance to help manage the program and strengthen its broader migration-management system.

The government has not disclosed the value or precise terms of that........

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