In a rare show of unity, a coalition of Libyan political parties has delivered a resolute rebuke to the United States over reported plans by the Trump Administration to deport migrants with criminal records to Libya.
In a strongly worded statement released this week-end, the parties described the proposal as an “unacceptable intrusion” and a “blatant violation of Libya’s sovereignty,” urging Libyan authorities to take a definitive stand against what they called an ill-conceived external imposition on an already fragile State.
The parties rejected the characterization of Libya as a “safe third country,” calling the label both disingenuous and dangerous, particularly in light of continued U.S. travel advisories that cite Libya as a high-risk destination. They decried the notion that the war-torn nation should serve as a geopolitical landfill for the unresolved crises of foreign powers. “Libya is not a receptacle for discarded responsibilities nor an experimental terrain for foreign agendas,” the statement asserted, warning that any such policy risks exacerbating domestic tensions and further destabilizing a country still emerging from years of conflict.
Highlighting the absence of a unified national government, the parties emphasized that no authority can legitimately negotiate agreements with far-reaching implications for Libya’s demographic and security landscape. They urged all national bodies—parliamentary and executive alike—to issue a firm, public rejection of the deportation plan. Silence, they warned, would be tantamount to complicity. The parties also called upon the UN Security Council’s permanent members to prioritize Libya’s stability and sovereignty, rather than allowing the nation to become “a testing ground for policies that offend both international law and human dignity.”