Liberia has agreed to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States over the next 12 months. The announcement came Tuesday from Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah.

The first group of 20 deportees is scheduled to arrive Thursday. The individuals include nationals from Africa as well as North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

This marks one of the largest such arrangements under current U.S. deportation policies aimed at accelerating removals of individuals without legal status. U.S. officials have pursued similar deals with other African nations to facilitate returns.

The deportees are third-country nationals, meaning they are not Liberian citizens but will be received under the new agreement. Liberia's government confirmed the terms in a statement issued Tuesday in Monrovia.

The arrangement supports broader U.S. efforts to enforce immigration laws by expanding options for repatriation when direct returns to home countries prove difficult. Officials expect the full complement of 1,200 to be transferred within a year.