- President Boakai has set up a special committee to investigate growing concerns of a possible US travel ban on Liberians
- The Executive Mansion says the President chaired the first meeting of the body on Wednesday
- At the heart of the potential ban is the overstay of Liberians in the U.S.
- The country has one of the highest overstay rates in the world, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Department
- The proposed list of 36 countries to face the ban also includes other key U.S. allies–Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast and The Gambia
President Joseph Boakai has set up a high-level task force in response to reports that Liberia could be among dozens of countries targeted in a proposed United States travel ban. The move comes amid mounting concerns over the country’s unusually high rate of visa overstays.
The seven-member body, chaired by President Boakai and co-led by Madam Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the Foreign Minister, convened for the first time on Wednesday at the Executive Mansion, according to a release from the Mansion. The Ministries of Justice, Health, and State for Presidential Affairs, along with the Liberia National Police, the National Security Agency, and the Office of the National Security Advisor, are also represented, it said.
The Mansion said during the meeting, the body “developed a joint “multi-sectoral” work plan aimed at addressing the concerns comprehensively and with urgency.”
This past weekend, The Washington Post, a U.S. media outlet, said it had obtained a memo by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump that included Liberia on a list of 36 countries whose citizens could be banned from traveling to the U.S. The list reportedly also includes close U.S. partners in West Africa, such as Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast and The Gambia.
At the heart of the concern is Liberia’s visa overstay rate–one of the highest globally, according to a 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The report found that roughly one in four Liberians who entered the United States on a visa failed to leave when it expired.
“Implementation of the work plan will be carried out in close collaboration with the U.S. Government,” the Executive Mansion said. “President Boakai highlighted his Administration’s commitment to upholding good governance, the rule of law, and Liberia’s longstanding partnership with the United States.”
Some Liberian journalists who recently traveled to the U.S. said they had approached by members of the diaspora encouraging them to overstay their visas. Experts say the issue underlines the deep socioeconomic pressures facing many Liberians abroad and at home.
Minister Nyanti, in WhatsApp messages to FrontPage Africa/New Narratives, said that the overstay matter was being treated with urgency.
“We are engaging on the issues of which we are informed that the Liberian overstay rate is one of the highest,” she said.
News of the proposed ban has prompted criticism at home, with citizens calling on the government to do more to create economic opportunities, attract foreign investments, lower the cost of living, and improve job prospects–measures thry say are crucial to deterring irregular migration.
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by the Swedish embassy in Liberia which had no say in the story’s content.
