Top Democratic senators are raising concerns over a $7.5 million payment made by the U.S. government to Equatorial Guinea as part of efforts to deport migrants to the West African nation.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the “highly unusual payment — to one of the most corrupt governments in the world — raises serious concerns over the responsible, transparent use of American taxpayer dollars.”
Shaheen noted that the amount “far exceeds the total U.S. foreign assistance provided to the country over the last eight years” and questioned whether the transfer, made from a migration and refugee assistance fund, was a permissible use of the money.
This would mark the first government-to-government transfer from that fund, which Congress created to respond to humanitarian crises.
The State Department declined to comment on the specifics of diplomatic communications but said, “Implementing the Trump Administration’s immigration policies is a top priority for the Department of State. As Secretary Rubio has said, we remain unwavering in our commitment to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America’s border security.”
The payment has sparked scrutiny over how the Trump administration’s deportation agenda intersects with broader foreign policy objectives and which international leaders it trusts to implement these agreements.
Critics warn that the “third country” deportation policy could violate due process rights and endanger migrants, particularly in countries with histories of human rights abuses and corruption.
