US may soon deport migrants to Libya on military flight: report

U.S.President Donald Trump’s administration may deport migrants to Libya for the first time this week, three U.S.

officials said on Tuesday, as part of his immigration crackdown and despite Washington’s past condemnation of Libya’s harsh treatment of detainees.Two of the officials said the U.S.military could fly the migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday, but stressed that plans could still change.The Pentagon referred queries to the White House.

The White House, State Department, and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Reuters could not determine how many migrants would be sent to Libya or the nationalities of the individuals that the administration is eyeing for deportation.The Republican president, who made immigration a major issue during his election campaign, has launched aggressive enforcement action since taking office, surging troops to the southern border and pledging to deport millions of immigrants in the United States illegally.As of Monday, the Trump administration has deported 152,000 people, according to DHS.Trump’s administration has tried to encourage migrants to leave voluntarily by threatening steep fines, trying to strip away legal status, and deporting migrants to notorious prisons in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador.In its annual human rights report released last year, the U.S.State Department criticized Libya’s “harsh and life-threatening prison conditions” and “arbitrary arrest or detention.”U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week said the United States was not satisfied only with sending migrants to El Salvador, and hinted that Washington was looking to expand the number of countries to which it may deport people.“We are working with other countries to say: We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings, will you do this as a favor to us,” Rubio said at a cabinet meeting at the White House last Wednesday.“And the further away fro...