US reportedly in talks to send migrants to Libya under Trump deportation drive

Washington aiming to secure deal to remove migrants with criminal records, US media say

Salvadoran migrants deported from the United States arrive at a processing centre in El Salvador's capital, San Salvador, on April 2. Reuters

Washington has been discussing with Libya the idea of deporting asylum seekers to the North African country as well as migrants living in the US who hold criminal records, US media has reported.

Citing multiple unidentified sources, CNN said the US is also in talks with Rwanda and other countries about the possibility of taking migrants that Washington wishes to remove.

The plan comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump ramps up efforts to dissuade migrants from attempting to enter. Mr Trump has launched a mass arrest and deportation drive that he has vowed to make the biggest in US history.

CNN said Washington wants to deport migrants with criminal records from the US to Libya through a so-called "safe third country" agreement. It hopes to begin formal negotiations soon, the media outlet reported.

The Trump administration has already signed a deal with El Salvador worth millions of dollars to house migrants in maximum security prisons who it says are criminals and gang members.

“I say this unapologetically, we are actively searching for other countries to take people from third countries," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

“We are working with other countries to say, ‘We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countries – will you do that as a favour to us?’ And the farther away from America, the better, so they can’t come back across the border.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US President Donald Trump are trying to step up deportations. Bloomberg

CNN said senior State Department officials met with Libyan and Rwandan officials this week for talks.

Rwanda and the US are discussing a possible deal through which Rwanda would take migrants who have finished serving prison sentences in the US, it reported.

In recent years, the central African country has positioned itself as a destination for migrants that western countries would like to remove.

Rwanda signed an agreement with Britain in 2022 to take in thousands of asylum seekers from the UK before the deal was scrapped last year by incoming Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Any push to send migrants to Libya is likely to meet legal challenges and resistance from human rights groups, who say they face abuse in the oil-rich nation.

Libya faces a volatile security situation, with political rivals and armed groups competing for control over territory. The country is already a key departure point on North Africa's Mediterranean coast for migrants heading to Europe. Violence and instability since the 2011 overthrow and killing of leader Muammar Qaddafi have helped turn the nation into a fertile ground for human traffickers, who have long been accused of abuses.

Gaining asylum in the US is a long shot for most people. During the 2024 financial year only about 12 per cent of applications were approved, according to figures from the US Office of Homeland Security Statistics.

The Trump administration has also attempted to deport holders of student visas and green cards over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's war in Gaza. It has called the actions of some students a threat to US foreign policy.