Summary:

On 18 May 2025, the US Embassy in Libya rejected claims that US officials had reached an agreement for Libya to receive 1 million Gazans, saying the claims were baseless.

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The US Embassy’s response comes as a report from NBC News argued that Libyan officials accepted the reception of Gazans refugees in exchange of unfreezing billions in Libyan assets in the US. 

Previous reports also highlighted the potential transfer of migrants with criminal records from the US to Libya before Libyan government officials denied any agreement on the matter.  

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected these claims saying he was not aware of any discussions involving migrant transfers to Libya.  

Reporters from June 2024 showed that chartered flights from Benghazi transported migrants to Nicaragua, allegedly as a first step in efforts to cross into the US illegally.

Outlook: 

Talks on potential migrant transfers to Libya are likely to undermine confidence in Libya’s governing institutions and reinforce the idea that these governments are working under influence of foreign powers. 

These reports also risk exacerbating the ongoing tensions in Tripoli and could put more pressure on the Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah. As Dbeibah faces mounting pressure after recent clashes in Tripoli, perceptions that he is collaborating with foreign powers could further weaken his position in Tripoli. 

Libyan cooperation with the US on migration may also lead to empowering militias already exploiting European outsourcing of migrant detentions under the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding to raise profits.  

Such an externalization of borders may lead to a rise in human rights violations as these militias are known for torturing migrants and detaining them for ransom with some disturbing reports indicating the possibility of organ harvesting.

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