On 30 April, CNN reported that the Trump administration has discussed with Libya and Rwanda the possibility of sending migrants who have criminal records and are in the United States to those two countries. In addition to sending migrants with criminal records, Trump officials are also hoping to enter formal negotiations with Libya to strike a so-called safe third country agreement, which would allow the US to send asylum seekers apprehended at the US border to Libya. No decision has been made yet, and it’s unclear which nationalities would be eligible. CNN said it reached out to a representative for Saddam Haftar, who was in Washington for talks with officials on 28 April, for comment. The State Department and a Libyan official said his meetings were not about deportations.
While there have been few official responses from Libyan authorities, twenty Libyan political parties have rejected the reported plan, calling it a blatant violation of Libya’s sovereignty and calling on Libyan authorities to officially declare their rejection. The parties warned against turning Libya into an experimental ground for foreign migration policies or a dumping ground for problems that originate outside its borders.