ICE Deports Former Liberian Fighter Accused of Human Rights Violations

<p>A former Liberian combatant, Amos Sheik Massaquoi, was deported to Liberia on August 11, 2026, after spending nearly two decades in the United States. Massaquoi, 55, is accused of ordering and participating in killings, torture, and the recruitment of child soldiers during Liberia's civil wars from 1989 to 2003.</p><p>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that Massaquoi served as chief bodyguard to Maj. Gen. Daniel Chea, a former leader in Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia. ICE officials indicated that Massaquoi is believed to have engaged in extrajudicial killings, acts of torture, arbitrary arrests, forced labor, and the recruitment of child soldiers.</p><p>ICE Chicago Field Office Director Frank Padula emphasized, "If you are a confirmed human rights violator, and you believe you can hide in the United States, you are mistaken." He added that ICE will pursue individuals who have committed atrocities abroad.</p><p>Massaquoi entered the U.S. legally in August 2006 but was only authorized to remain until November 6 of that year. He was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Maryland in August 2019 for being illegally present in the U.S. An immigration judge granted him bond less than two months later, leading to his release.</p><p>He was taken back into custody by ICE Baltimore on April 1, 2025, after failing to comply with the terms of his release. An immigration judge ordered his removal the following month. ICE reported that Massaquoi received specialized military training at an academy in China in 2004, one year after Liberia's second civil war ended.</p><p>The civil wars in Liberia resulted in nearly 250,000 deaths, primarily among civilians, according to the United Nations. Charles Taylor, who led the rebel movement and later became Liberia's president, was convicted of aiding and abetting crimes committed by rebel forces in Sierra Leone and sentenced to 50 years in prison.</p><p>HSI Maryland Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin stated, "Amos Sheik Massaquoi is believed to have engaged in cruelty and terror, marked by killings, torture, forced labor, unlawful imprisonment and the recruitment of children into armed conflict." He reiterated that individuals confirmed to have engaged in bloodshed have no place in the United States.</p><p>The investigation was supported by ICE's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, which tracks individuals suspected of atrocities abroad who attempt to enter or remain in the U.S. Since 2003, ICE has arrested over 520 individuals for human rights-related violations and removed 1,178 known or suspected human rights violators. The center has also prevented over 415 suspected human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the country.</p><p>ICE encourages anyone with information about suspected human rights violators in the U.S. to contact their tip line at 866-DHS-2-ICE or submit a tip online.</p>