US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported Amos Sheik Massaquoi, a 55-year-old former Liberian combatant, back to Liberia on August 11, 2026. Massaquoi was accused by US authorities of involvement in killings, torture, and recruitment of child soldiers during Liberia's civil wars. According to ICE, Massaquoi served as chief bodyguard to Maj. Gen. Daniel Chea, a former leader in Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).
Massaquoi had been in the US since August 2006 but was only authorized to stay until November 6 of that year. He was arrested in Maryland in August 2019 for being unlawfully present in the US. An immigration judge granted him bond, and he was released less than two months later. However, ICE's Baltimore office took Massaquoi back into custody on April 1, 2025, after he failed to comply with the conditions of his release.
ICE's investigation into Massaquoi was supported by the agency's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center. The center investigates individuals suspected of human rights abuses and war crimes who attempt to enter or remain in the US. Since 2003, ICE has arrested over 520 people for human-rights-related violations and removed 1,178 known or suspected human rights violators.
According to ICE, Massaquoi received specialized military training at an academy in China in 2004. HSI Maryland Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin stated that Massaquoi was believed to have been involved in acts including killings, torture, forced labor, unlawful imprisonment, and recruitment of children into armed conflict. Baldwin emphasized that individuals who engage in such atrocities have no place in the US.
Liberia endured two civil wars between 1989 and 2003, resulting in widespread killings, displacement, and other abuses committed by multiple armed groups. The UN estimates that nearly 250,000 people were killed, mostly civilians, during the conflicts. Massaquoi's deportation comes amid ongoing efforts to document and address atrocities committed during Liberia's wars.
ICE Chicago Field Office Director Frank Padula stated that the agency will continue pursuing people suspected of human rights violations committed abroad. Padula emphasized that individuals who commit atrocities abroad will be pursued, arrested, and removed, and that US communities will not become a refuge from accountability.
Massaquoi's case highlights the US government's efforts to hold accountable those responsible for human rights abuses committed abroad. The deportation also underscores the importance of international cooperation in bringing perpetrators of war crimes to justice.
Key points
- US ICE deports former Liberian combatant Amos Sheik Massaquoi for war-era atrocities.
- Massaquoi accused of involvement in killings, torture, and recruitment of child soldiers during Liberia's civil wars.
- ICE continues to pursue individuals suspected of human rights violations committed abroad.
