US could deport migrants to Libya despite being on Trump's 'Muslim ban' list

The US is considering a plan to deport migrants to Libya, despite the country's appalling human rights record around the treatment of refugees and being placed on the 'Muslim ban' list.

Donald Trump's administration is said to be in talks with the Libyan and Rwandan governments about sending migrants with criminal records to the two countries, in a bid to deter irregular travel to the US, according to CNN.

Libyans are currently on a list of nationals banned from entering the US for 90 days, in an order Amnesty described as "cruel, inhumane, and violated international law". The country was then placed on a travel 'red list'.

Sources told CNN that US officials have discussed Libya becoming a 'safe third party' for migrants apprehended at US borders, although a member of a Libyan delegation linked to militia leader Khalifa Haftar said the issue was not discussed during a recent visit to Washington.

While the US State Department has not confirmed the CNN report, it has indicated that it is in talks with foreign countries to take in people detained at the border.

"I say this unapologetically, we are actively searching for other countries to take people from third countries," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.

"We are working with other countries to say, 'We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countries — will you do that as a favor to us?’ And the further away from America, the better, so they can’t come back across the border."

Libya has been a key location for migrant crossings to Europe, with the EU signing deals with Tripoli to curb the outflow of migrants.

The deals have resulted in thousands of migrants being held in "hellish" conditions in Libya, where abuses such as torture and rape are said to be common.

"EU leaders’ cooperation with Libyan authorities is keeping desperate people trapped in unimaginable horrors in Libya," Matteo de Bellis, Researcher on Migration and Asylum at Amnesty International said in 2022.

"Over the past five years, Italy, Malta and the EU have helped capture tens of thousands of women, men and children at sea, many of whom ended up in horrific detention centres rife with torture, while countless others were forcibly disappeared."

The UK government also ruled the government's plans to use Rwanda as a third party for deporting migrants as unlawful, while Labour abandoned the idea when it came to power last year.