Equatorial Guinea police brandish rifles at U.S.-deported migrants, witnesses say
Police in Equatorial Guinea pointed assault-style rifles at migrants who had been deported from the United States, raising alarm over their treatment.
Video and eyewitness accounts show police in Equatorial Guinea pointing what appear to be semi-automatic assault rifles at migrants deported from the United States at a hotel in Malabo. The clash started when a Cuban deportee asked officers to return his confiscated phone, prompting a dispute that turned violent, with officers ordering the group to kneel and holding guns on them for up to fifteen minutes. Authorities have not disclosed the terms of the arrangement, but the United States has struck multiple third-country deals to relocate migrants it cannot return home.
Since November 2025, 53 people from eleven African nations and countries such as Georgia, Jamaica, Brazil and Cuba have been sent to Equatorial Guinea under the program. Lawyers for the detainees say the incident highlights the danger they face, while U.S. officials maintain the removals comply with immigration law. The government of Equatorial Guinea has not responded to requests for comment.
Why it matters
The incident highlights risks in U.S. third-country deportation deals and raises human-rights concerns for vulnerable migrants.
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