Equatorial Guinea: Police Officers Pointed Their Guns at Migrants Expelled from the United States, According to Reuters

Equatorial Guinean police officers pointed their weapons at migrants expelled from the United States and held in a hotel in Malabo during an incident on Saturday, September 5, according to three witnesses and footage reviewed by Reuters.

The altercation reportedly began when a Cuban national requested the return of his mobile phone, which had been confiscated by the authorities. Another migrant, Egyptian Ahmed Soliman, filmed the scene before being confronted. He claims that several officers armed their rifles, removed the safety, and ordered him to kneel for several minutes. Reuters notes that it has not been able to independently verify the events leading up to the confrontation.

The situation calmed down after the intervention of the hotel manager, who allowed the detained individuals to return to their rooms. However, the expelled persons report having limited access to medical care and legal assistance, as well as experiencing severe psychological distress.

According to Third Country Deportation Watch, a monitoring system managed by Refugees International and Human Rights First, 53 people were transferred to Equatorial Guinea under the agreement concluded with Washington between November 2025 and July 2026. Thirty-one of them are currently believed to be at the Malabo hotel.

The U.S. government defends these expulsions to third countries. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Reuters that the administration is using “all legal options” to carry out removal measures and that the immigration agency is no longer responsible for individuals once they are out of its custody. The State Department, for its part, states that it intends to use all available legal means to remove individuals without the right to stay in the United States.

Malabo did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. In June, human rights organizations had already approached the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on behalf of several migrants sent to Equatorial Guinea. The case is part of a broader American policy of transfers to third countries, already at the heart of a controversial agreement with several African states.

At the end of August, several migrants who had refused to disembark in Liberia were also transferred to Equatorial Guinea. Liberia is among the African countries that have agreed to receive individuals expelled from the United States, as part of agreements that have raised concerns about their transparency and the protections provided to the individuals involved.