Equatorial Guinea police pull guns on migrants deported by Trump, witnesses say
Police in Equatorial Guinea pulled firearms on migrants deported there from the United States, according to three witnesses and video footage shared with Reuters, intensifying concerns about the treatment and safety of people sent to the Central African nation under a U.S. deportation programme. Deportees have complained of inadequate medical care, denial of legal assistance and “severe […]
Three witnesses and video footage shared with Reuters claim that police in Equatorial Guinea brandished firearms at migrants deported from the United States. The incident occurred on Saturday at a hotel in Malabo, the country's former capital. Deportees reported inadequate medical care, denial of legal assistance, and severe psychological distress.
The altercation started as a dispute over mobile phones and quickly escalated, with police pointing semi-automatic rifles at the deportees. One migrant appeared to be kneeling while others screamed nearby. The Trump administration has been sending migrants to Equatorial Guinea under third-country agreements for several years. Many of those deported had previously won protection from U.S. immigration judges, fearing torture or other abuses if repatriated.
Rights groups warn that the arrangements are opaque and potentially dangerous. Lawyers representing deportees expressed concern about the confrontation, hoping no one would be seriously injured or killed. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and State Department defended the deportations as lawful and compliant with U.S. immigration law.
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