United States Sends $7.5 Million to Equatorial Guinea for Deportation Agreement

The United States government has transferred $7.5 million to Equatorial Guinea to secure the west African nation’s acceptance of deportees from America, marking an unprecedented use of funds originally designated for international refugee assistance.

The payment represents the first instance of money from the Migration and Refugee Assistance emergency fund being redirected from its traditional purpose of addressing refugee crises toward facilitating deportations. According to government data reviewed by congressional officials, the funds went directly to the government of Equatorial Guinea, a nation consistently ranked among the world’s most repressive and corrupt regimes.

Equatorial Guinea has been governed for 46 years by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Both he and his son, Vice President Nguema Obiang, face accusations of embezzling millions of dollars from their impoverished nation to maintain extravagant personal lifestyles.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has formally challenged the payment in correspondence to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She characterized the transaction as “highly unusual” and expressed grave concerns about the responsible use of American taxpayer funds given Equatorial Guinea’s documented history of corruption and government complicity in human trafficking.

The senator’s letter poses critical questions about safeguards for deportees, specifically whether any protections exist to prevent them from becoming vulnerable to human trafficking, smuggling, or human rights abuses upon arrival in Equatorial Guinea.

This arrangement forms part of the administration’s broader third-country deportation initiative, a policy that has drawn scrutiny from international human rights organizations. United Nations experts issued warnings that such policies could result in individuals being removed to foreign nations within a single day, without adequate legal protections or opportunity to raise concerns about potential torture or persecution.

The scope of this diplomatic effort extends far beyond Equatorial Guinea. The administration has approached at least 58 governments regarding deportee acceptance, frequently securing agreements through financial incentives or diplomatic leverage, including threats of travel restrictions.

A troubling pattern emerges when examining the nations involved in these agreements. Nearly all countries participating in the program, including Eswatini, South Sudan, and El Salvador, appear in State Department reports documenting serious human rights violations within their borders.

The State Department, responding to inquiries, stated that implementing the administration’s immigration policies remains a top priority. Officials emphasized their unwavering commitment to ending illegal immigration and strengthening border security, while declining to comment on specific diplomatic communications with foreign governments.

In September, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met with Vice President Obiang, though details of that meeting remain undisclosed.

The fundamental question facing policymakers and the American public centers on whether the urgency of deportation enforcement justifies partnerships with regimes whose human rights records stand in stark contrast to American values. The use of refugee assistance funds for this purpose adds another dimension to the debate, as Congress originally appropriated these monies to provide humanitarian relief, not to facilitate removals to nations with documented records of abuse and corruption.

As this policy unfolds, the balance between national immigration enforcement and America’s historical commitment to human rights protection remains under examination.