Why Asian and Mexican Immigrants Facing Deportation to Libya Choose to Stay in the U.S.

A Filipino immigrant detained in Texas recounted a harrowing experience when armed guards in tactical gear woke him at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, informing him he was being sent to Libya. After hours of waiting on a bus at a military base, the flight was ultimately canceled, and he and 12 other detainees, mainly from Asian countries, were returned to solitary confinement in the Texas facility.

His lawyer, Johnny Sinodis, noted that the detainee asked to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation. The detainees, who included individuals from the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, and Mexico, discovered later that their attorneys had swiftly filed an emergency motion in response to reports that the Trump administration was planning deportations to Libya.

A federal judge intervened, enforcing an existing order that halted deportations to third countries. Tin Nguyen, another immigration attorney representing a detainee on that bus, highlighted the anxiety many immigrants felt about potentially being sent to Libya, a country known for its severe human rights violations.

“Libya or El Salvador or Rwanda … it’s very scary for people,” Nguyen stated, emphasizing that the detainees were unfamiliar with these countries and the chilling narratives surrounding them. Although the deportations were halted, concerns lingered.

Sinodis criticized the illogical nature of deporting immigrants to distant countries, questioning the costs involved and advocating for more rational solutions. Meanwhile, detainees faced intimidation tactics, such as being asked to sign documents agreeing to deportation without proper language support.

Nguyen reported that his client, who had previously been coerced into signing an agreement to be deported, was eventually separated from others for his refusal. In the days following this ordeal, turmoil marked the experiences of many detainees, who preferred repatriation to their home countries over the threat of deportation to Libya.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, indicated that the administration was seeking international cooperation for the deportation of certain individuals. Critics expressed deep concerns about the treatment of migrants in Libya, emphasizing that the country has been long condemned for human rights abuses.

Libya’s Government of National Unity publicly denied any agreements with the U.S., rejecting the notion of accepting deported immigrants without prior consent.