CNN has revealed that US President Donald Trump’s administration held discussions with Libyan officials about the possibility of deporting migrants with criminal records, currently residing in the US, to Libya.
According to the CNN, Trump officials also 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.
The report says that senior US State Department officials met with Libyan officials this week to discuss the proposal. The talks coincided with the visit of Saddam Haftar—son of Khalifa Haftar—who held meetings with American officials during his visit to Washington.
CNN said it reached out to the US State Department and a Libyan military official (Saddam Haftar) who was part of the delegation for comment but had not received a response at the time of reporting.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked during a meeting on Wednesday: “I say this unapologetically—we are actively seeking other countries to host individuals from third countries.”
He added, “We’re working with nations to ask: would you take in some of the most vile people on Earth as a favor to us? The farther they are from America, the better—so they can’t come back across the border.”
