Summary:

On 1 May 2025, CNN reported that the US administration held talks with Libyan officials about the possibility of deporting migrants with criminal records, currently residing in the US, to Libya. 

According to the CNN, US officials aimed to formally negotiate a “safe third-country agreement” with Libya, which would allow the US to transfer asylum seekers apprehended at the US border to Libyan territory. 

In late April 2025, Saddam Haftar, the son of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, met with US presidential advisor Massad Boulos at the US State Department in Washington. However, official statements from both sides did not mention discussions on the deportation issue.  

Libya is not the only country with which the Trump administration is negotiating regarding deportation plans. The US is currently in talks with Rwanda regarding a potential agreement under which Kigali would accept individuals deported from the US, including non-Rwandan migrants. The US is also set to reach an asylum agreement with El Salvador. 

Outlook: 

Discussions under the Trump administration about potentially deporting migrants with criminal records to Libya point to the possibility of deepening US-Libya cooperation on migration management.  

While the idea aligns with past Trump efforts to outsource migration responsibilities, deep political fragmentation in Libya adds complexity to any such arrangement, not to mention the perceptions of the international community should such a plan be implemented.  

The success of a deal would depend not only on US policy priorities, but also which of the two Libyan governments is engaged, and whether it has the authority and capacity to implement and sustain such an agreement in the face of Libya’s uncertain political future.  

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