Sources: Trump administration in talks to send migrants with criminal records to Libya

The Trump administration is reportedly in discussions with leaders in Libya and Rwanda to deport migrants with criminal records back to those countries, multiple sources told CNN. This move mirrors previous efforts by the administration to strike similar deals with El Salvador.

All three countries being considered—Libya, Rwanda, and El Salvador—have been criticized for poor human rights conditions, including reports of torture and abuse.

In January, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at speeding up the deportation of migrants from the United States to third countries.

The administration is also reportedly exploring a “safe third country agreement” with Libya, which would permit the U.S. to send asylum seekers who arrive on American soil to Libya instead.

General Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and a key figure in Libya’s eastern government—which is not officially recognized by the U.S. or the United Nations—was in Washington this week for high-level meetings with American officials.

Human Rights Watch has accused Saddam Haftar of committing severe abuses, calling his actions “a catalogue of horrors,” according to France 24.

“We are actively looking for countries willing to accept migrants from third nations,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “We want to send you some of the worst criminals — will you do that as a favor to us? The farther from the U.S., the better, so they don’t come back.”

As a potential bargaining tool, the administration is reportedly considering the reintroduction of a travel ban affecting several countries. Libya was part of Trump’s original travel ban.