What We Know About US Deportations to Equatorial Guinea

A detainee identified only as "Adam" has spent nearly a year confined to a room at the Hotel Bamy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, after the Trump administration flew him there in November 2025 despite a U.S. immigration judge's order shielding him from deportation to his home country, according to an opinion piece published Oct. 2, 2026, by The Guardian and co-written by Tutu Alicante and Uzra Zeya.

Adam, 26, has not disclosed his real name or country of origin, citing fear for his safety, the authors write. He had fled indefinite, forced military conscription and said he endured abuse during his military service before seeking asylum in the United States.

Who Is Being Held at Hotel Bamy?

According to the op-ed, a U.S. immigration judge heard Adam's case, found he would probably face persecution if returned to his country of origin, and issued a formal order barring his removal there. The United States nonetheless placed him on a flight in November 2025 that lasted 13 hours and 10 minutes, the authors write. Adam and the other men aboard were told they were being moved to another U.S. detention facility and learned only mid-flight, while shackled, that they were headed to Equatorial Guinea — a country Adam had never visited. Since arriving, he has been confined alone in a hotel room under watch by security officers and soldiers, the piece states, and was at one point handcuffed, beaten and warned not to tell anyone, according to the authors' account.

How Much Is the US Paying Equatorial Guinea to Accept Deportees?

The Trump administration repurposed $7.5 million in November to pay the government of Equatorial Guinea to accept third-country nationals removed from the United States, the op-ed states, describing it as a 275% increase in foreign assistance to Malabo and a departure from what the authors call longstanding U.S. policy against direct aid to the country's leadership. The piece notes Congress had appropriated funds for a different purpose, though the op-ed's available text does not specify the original intended use.

Key figures cited in the op-ed

• $7.5 million — funds the Trump administration redirected to pay Equatorial Guinea to accept deportees, per the authors
• 275% — the increase in U.S. foreign assistance to Equatorial Guinea that the payment represents, according to the piece
• 13 hours, 10 minutes — length of the November 2025 flight that carried Adam and others to Malabo
• Nearly a year — how long Adam has been held at the Hotel Bamy, as of the piece's publication

What Does Equatorial Guinea's Human Rights Record Show?

The authors cite the most recent State Department human rights report on Equatorial Guinea, writing that torture reportedly occurs in every prison nationwide. The op-ed does not identify the report by publication year or link to it directly, but uses it to argue that sending U.S. deportees there — including people a U.S. judge has already found likely to face persecution elsewhere — places them at risk of the same treatment the American asylum system is designed to prevent.

What Are the Authors Calling For?

Alicante and Zeya argue Adam and others held at the hotel should be released and allowed to have their asylum claims heard "in a country capable of hearing them," according to a quote accompanying the piece's lead photograph.

"Adam and everyone held at Hotel Bamy should be released and given the chance to have their asylum claims heard in a country capable of hearing them."

The photo caption attributes that assessment to the broader argument of the op-ed rather than to Adam himself.

Who Wrote the Op-Ed, and What Is Their Vantage Point?

The piece was published as commentary in The Guardian's Opinion section under the Trump administration tag, co-authored by Tutu Alicante and Uzra Zeya. The Guardian identifies the piece as opinion rather than a staff news report, meaning the factual assertions about Adam's treatment, the $7.5 million payment and the State Department report reflect the authors' sourcing and framing rather than independent Guardian newsroom reporting. HTT News has not independently verified Adam's identity, the flight details or the dollar figures cited and is reporting them as claims made in the published op-ed. Readers seeking the primary account, including additional detail on the funding mechanism and the authors' policy recommendations, can read the full Guardian opinion piece here.

Neither the Trump administration nor the government of Equatorial Guinea is quoted responding to the specific allegations in the portion of the op-ed provided, and no on-the-record government statement accompanies the piece as published.

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