Five migrants rerouted to Equatorial Guinea after refusing to be deported to Liberia

In a recent deportation effort, the United States tried to relocate a batch of migrants to Liberia under a deal that could move up to 1,200 people to the West African nation. Five passengers - three Cuban men, one Brazilian man and one Cameroonian woman - refused to get off the plane in Monrovia, prompting authorities to redirect the flight to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. There, the five were compelled to disembark and placed in a detention center alongside more than 30 other migrants previously sent to the country.

Liberia had announced it would receive the first group of 20 deportees, yet a Liberian official said only 15 actually stepped off the aircraft. The State Department reiterated its commitment to end illegal immigration, while the Department of Homeland Security described the transfers as moves to a "safe third country." Human-rights organizations have condemned the policy, highlighting inadequate medical care, severe psychological distress and denial of legal aid for those held in the decommissioned hotel in Malabo. The incident illustrates the logistical and legal challenges of the U.S. third-country deportation program.