Deported Liberians Expected Today

Dozens of deportees said to be Liberian nationals are expected from the United States of America (USA) today.
Those expected to return might have spent some time behind bars in the USA for allegedly committing various crimes.
The actual numbers of deportees are not yet known but according to the Liberia Immigration Services (LIS) who might have been communicated with by their United States counterpart, the number would be huge.
LIS’s Media Officer, Abraham Dorley, told the media this week that the deportees are to arrive in two batches and that the first batch will be arriving today, November 13, while the next is expected on December 11, 2019.
Dorley, however could not provide details or reasons for the deportation; whether or not these people are part of the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) Programme which is expected to expired next March, 2020.
As of March 31, 2020, some 4,000 Liberians, most of whom have been living legally in the United States for decades, will lose their legal status due to the Trump administration’s termination of the programme that granted them temporary reprieves from deportation.
Trump’s decision to end DED for Liberians is part of a broad effort to cancel longstanding programmes that allow groups of immigrants to temporarily reside in the United States; such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
In March 2018, the Trump administration announced the termination of the programme and gave over 4,000 Liberians a year until 31 March, 2019 to leave the United States or risk deportation.
According to the United States government, the decision was made “In the foreign policy interest of the country.” Issued by the President’s discretion, the DED programme is a deferred departure status granting people the right to work and live in the United States for a limited period of time.
Over the past two decades, the DED status of Liberians has been renewed by both Republican and Democrat administration and has been alternated with another humanitarian programme; the Temporary Protected Status, a programme offering temporary residency to individuals who cannot safely return to their home countries because of wars or natural disasters.
In Liberia’s case, the statuses were granted in the light of two back-to-back civil wars from 1989 to 1997 and 1999 to 2003 and that of the 2014 Ebola outbreak; both of which have taken a toll on the country’s healthcare system and its economy; writes Suah K. Throble