WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Unity Party-led government of Liberian President Joseph Boakai has retained a high-powered Washington lobbying firm to formally urge the Trump administration to revoke the protected status of thousands of Liberians living in the United States, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter within Liberia’s Executive Mansion.
The move aims to convince U.S. authorities to terminate the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program for Liberia—a temporary humanitarian protection that allows beneficiaries to live and work legally in the U.S. due to unsafe conditions in their homeland. Sources confirmed the lobbying effort is part of a strategy to have Liberia removed from a U.S. temporary immigration ban list, even if it comes at the cost of exposing over 10,000 Liberian families to immediate deportation.
Internal communications reveal the Boakai administration’s justification hinges on a chart recently circulated by former President Donald Trump on Truth Social, titled “Immigrant Welfare Recipient Rates by Country of Origin.” Liberian government reportedly claim that DED holders rely excessively on U.S. public assistance—including food stamps, Medicaid, and housing subsidies—and that their deportation would improve Liberia’s standing in Washington.
This latest revelation follows a pattern of antagonistic rhetoric from President Boakai toward Liberians abroad. In February 2025, at a public event, Boakai mocked Liberians in the U.S., declaring: “…Because you sitting down conveniently in the States or somewhere enjoying, you think you enjoying life? But we got a message for you… Donald Trump coming for you.” The remarks sparked widespread condemnation as cruel and politically tone-deaf, given the diaspora’s role as Liberia’s largest source of foreign exchange—sending home more than $800 million annually in remittances.
Many now see the President’s latest actions as a deliberate betrayal, especially since diaspora contributions were crucial to financing Boakai’s 2023 presidential campaign. Stephen Binda, Chairman of External Relations for the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA), did not mince words in an interview with The Liberian Investigator. “We run the economy of Liberia,” Binda stated. “Instead of rallying our support to develop the country, the President denigrates Liberians facing immigration challenges. It’s immoral, counterproductive, and a stab in the back.” Binda emphasized that remittances sent by U.S.-based Liberians keep countless families out of poverty and stabilize the nation’s fragile economy.
Critics have also highlighted President Boakai’s own reliance on American healthcare, noting that he has frequently traveled to the United States for medical treatment—even as his administration moves to strip fellow Liberians of their legal sanctuary in the same country. If the lobbying effort succeeds, thousands of Liberian families protected under DED could face expulsion as early as this year, triggering what diaspora groups warn would be a humanitarian and economic disaster for Liberia, which lacks the capacity to absorb such a sudden influx of returnees.