Renowned Liberian Human Rights Lawyer and Political Leader of the Liberian People’s Party (LPP), Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, is appealing to United States President, Donald Trump, to treat Liberia as a special case regarding his decision of massive deportation and aid halt to the world.
The United States Department of Homeland Security recently released the names and home addresses of 110 Liberians as the first batch of over 1,500 Liberians to be evicted from the US, as the Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration.
Also, the Trump administration has ordered a three-month pause on almost all foreign development assistances pending a review to see what fits in with the president’s “America First” policy. Aid groups and human rights watchdogs warn that the freeze will put countless lives around the world at risk.
The U.S. is the world’s largest provider of humanitarian assistance and a global leader on HIV prevention and treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Program. In the 2023 fiscal year, the U.S. spent just short of US$70 billion on development aid, most of it through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
However, making the appeal over the weekend, Cllr. Gongloe urged President Trump to rethink his decision and respect the historical relationship and diplomatic ties between Liberia and the U.S.
“I want to appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump to rethink his decision and treat Liberia as a special case regarding the planned mass deportation and aid halt to the world. Liberia is a country that came out of the U.S historically, and we are still trying to recover from war,” Cllr. Gongloe urged.
According to him, many Liberians are in that category because they were escaping the war and seeking safety.
Commenting on the issue of aid halt, the Liberian People’s Party’s Political Leader appealed that President Trump and the people of the United States reconsider Liberia, because the country heavily relies on aid for development activities.
“We want to also call on President Trump and the people of the United States to consider Liberia on the issue of aid halt. Liberia depends on aid for its education, health and agricultural sectors, which are critical and most important to our heart. We want you to consider us not looking at the government violation of human rights, corruption and rule of law. Put us in a special category,” he appealed.
Meanwhile, the LPP political leader also called on President Joseph N. Boakai to take the topic of mass deportation and aid halt as a wakeup call. “I also want to call on President Boakai to take the topic of aid halt and massive deportation as a wakeup call to manage the country resources well to the benefit of the majority of the Liberian people. I want the President to pass an Executive Order reducing the salary and benefits of government officials from the over US$30,000 they are earning to US$300,” he noted.