Reports of Abuse Grow as U.S. Deportations to Third Countries Expand

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Reports of mistreatment involving migrants deported by the United States to third countries are increasing, with individuals describing threats, beatings, armed monitoring and irregular detention. Human‑rights organizations warn that many of these destinations offer little to no basic security and that some migrants are not even told where they are being sent until they arrive.

More than 25,000 migrants have been transferred to third countries since the policy was expanded. Among them are at least 45 Brazilians, sent to places such as Costa Rica, Liberia and Equatorial Guinea — nations with no connection to their nationality. One of those migrants is Pietro Graza de Lima, 57, who was deported to Equatorial Guinea in late August 2026 and remains confined in a hotel being used as a detention site.

According to migrants who spoke anonymously, more than 20 people are being held under a form of house arrest inside the hotel, which they say is controlled by U.S. government contractors. Several described the location as a “hotel from hell,” marked by a constant risk of violence.

Civil‑rights advocate Alexandra Smolyar of Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Atlanta said migrants are living under armed surveillance and frequent intimidation. She noted that many have reported threats and physical aggression, calling the situation “extremely dangerous and dire.”

Equatorial Guinea has long been cited by international watchdogs for systematic repression, corruption, torture and widespread human‑rights violations. The United States has signed deportation agreements with at least 35 countries, part of a program that has cost more than $49 million.

In September, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration may continue these deportations while legal challenges proceed, overturning lower‑court decisions that required advance notice to migrants. Meanwhile, another Brazilian — Alex Pereira Alves, detained by ICE in California — is awaiting a court ruling that could determine whether he will also be sent to a third country.