Deportees have complained of inadequate medical care, denial of legal assistance and "severe psychological distress" while being held at a hotel in Equatorial Guinea's former capi
The report indicates that 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.
It further notes that deportees have complained of inadequate medical care, denial of legal assistance and “severe psychological distress” while being held at a hotel in Equatorial Guinea’s former capital, Malabo.
The altercation on Saturday began as a dispute over access to mobile phones but quickly escalated, with men wearing shirts bearing the words “National Police” pointing what appeared to be semi-automatic assault rifles at deportees inside the entrance to the hotel. One migrant appeared to be kneeling on the ground while others screamed nearby.
Reuters reviewed the footage but could not independently verify the events that preceded the confrontation.
The Trump administration has since last year struck multiple agreements with African governments to accept migrants who it cannot legally return to their home countries. Many of those deported under the so-called third-country arrangements had previously won protection from U.S. immigration judges, who found they could face torture or other abuses if repatriated.
Washington has defended the third-country deals as lawful and stated deportations are carried out in accordance with U.S. immigration law. Equatorial Guinea has not publicly detailed the terms under which it is housing the deportees.
Rights groups and advocates have stated the arrangements are opaque and that some deportees are ultimately returned to the countries they originally fled.
Lawyers representing some of the deportees stated the confrontation underscored concerns about their safety.
“Once again, evidence demonstrates that deporting people to Equatorial Guinea is putting their lives in danger. I hope that someone will not be seriously injured or killed,” stated Meredyth Yoon, litigation director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, a legal advocacy group.
The Trump administration is “utilizing all lawful options” to carry out deportations, stated a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “When an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be responsible for them. This is common sense,” the spokesperson said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A State Department spokesperson stated the U.S. government would “use all legal means to remove those with no right to remain in our country.”
The government of Equatorial Guinea did not respond to requests for comment.
There are currently 31 deportees being held at the hotel in Malabo, according to Yoon and two members of the group of deportees.
Last month, five people whom the U.S. attempted to deport to Liberia resisted getting off the plane and were subsequently transported to Equatorial Guinea instead.
