Liberian national police officers stand guard awaiting a plane carrying migrants deported from the United States to land in Harbel, Liberia, on Aug. 20, 2026. Matthew Jacobs / AFP via Getty Images

US migrant flights to Liberia evoke troubling history of sending people deemed unwanted to the West African nation

In the 1800s, West Africa became a focal point for efforts to remove Black people from America. The arrival of free people later gave the country its name.

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