The American network CNN reported on Wednesday that the administration of President Donald Trump is moving forward with a plan to deport a group of undocumented migrants to Libya.
According to the network, citing a U.S. administration official, a C-17 military aircraft submitted a flight plan to depart from Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, to Misrata Airport in Libya on Wednesday. It remains unclear whether additional groups of migrants will be transferred to Libya in the future.
CNN confirmed that the White House declined to comment on the plans. When asked about it in the Oval Office, Trump said: “I don’t know anything about it, ask the Department of Homeland Security.” The U.S. State Department also refused to confirm or deny the matter, simply stating that it does not discuss the details of diplomatic communications with other countries.
CNN pointed out that the decision to deport migrants to Libya—despite the State Department’s designation of Libya as a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” country—marks a significant escalation in deportation policies, which have already faced widespread legal and human rights criticism.
While Washington continues discussions with other African countries such as Rwanda regarding similar possibilities, the network quoted a Libyan official who completely denied any discussions with the American side about receiving migrants. The official emphasized that the recent meetings held in Washington followed a publicly announced agenda and did not include this issue.
