Liberia says it's taking in 1,200 third-country US deportees

Deportees will include nationals from Africa, North America, South America and the Caribbean, according to Liberian officials who said they can apply for asylum if they choose.

Critics in the small West African nation say their government has not said why it agreed to one of the largest U.S. deportation deals, who the deportees are, or how they will be handled.

The government in Monrovia says the first batch of 20 people should arrive in Liberia on Thursday. The Trump administration has been seeking countries to take people it cannot send back to their countries of origin.