On a recent flight from the United States to Liberia, six deportees resisted disembarking, citing fears for their safety. Instead, they were flown to Malabo, a city in Equatorial Guinea, according to reports from a passenger and an attorney linked to the group.
The group consists of four Cuban men, a Brazilian man, and a Cameroonian woman. A Honduran deportee witnessed the group’s refusal to leave the plane in Liberia, noting their concern about returning to a country that was not their own and potential danger there. After separating from other passengers, he described how they were forcibly transported to Equatorial Guinea.
Meredyth Yoon, Litigation Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, reported chaotic scenes as the deportees arrived in Malabo. Many were in chains, including a Cuban man with a significant abdominal ailment reliant on a colostomy bag, and a distressed Cameroonian woman.
Currently, the group is held in the Bamy Hotel in Equatorial Guinea alongside roughly 40 other migrants. There is no medical personnel at the hotel, leading to worsening conditions. According to Yoon, recent months have seen food shortages and allegations of abusive treatment from guards.
Equatorial Guinea’s government, led by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, maintains the hotel under an opaque $7.5 million agreement with the Trump administration. This hotel serves as a detention facility for deportees sent from the U.S.
Among the deportees is Carlos Rodríguez López, who lived in Florida’s Miami Gardens. His wife, Igrayne Ribot, expressed shock upon learning of his deportation. Following his transfer notification, a video call revealed his unexpected situation in Africa, leaving her distraught.