Liberia will receive up to 1,200 people deported from the United States over the next 12 months under a third-country removal agreement, with the first group of 20 arrivals expected in Monrovia. Liberian officials said most deportees are from Latin America and the Caribbean, including Venezuela, Cuba, and Colombia, with no personal ties to Liberia. In most cases, these third-country deportees had previously obtained legal protection against return to their home countries after U.S. immigration judges found they faced risk of torture or other abuse there. Liberian officials said arrivals would be received as guests and could apply for asylum locally or leave the country on their own terms.