Suspicious Payment from Migration and Refugee Fund by Trump Admin to Equatorial Guinea

By Melanie Nathan NOV 10, 2025

The Trump administration made a $7.5 million payment to the government of Equatorial Guinea as it seeks to deport people to the West African country and draws closer to its heavily prosecuted leaders, according to the top Democratic senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said in a letter sent Monday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press that “this 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 said in her letter that the $7.5 million payment stood out because it would would “far exceed the amount of U.S. foreign assistance provided over the last 8 years combined” to the country.

The payment, made from a fund for migration and refugee assistance, would be the first government-to-government transfer from that account, which was set up by Congress to respond to humanitarian crises. She questioned whether the payment was a permissible use of the money.

The State Department declined to comment on the details 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 com

READ MORE HERE: https://apnews.com/article/equatorial-guinea-payment-marco-rubio-82335605d00326d59f9464d4e6c1c018 One wonders about corrupt side deals in mineral rich countries?

 Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio raising concerns about the transfer of $7.5 million directly to the Government of Equatorial Guinea in exchange for the country agreeing to accept third country nationals removed from the United States.

Full text of the letter from the Senator to Sec. Rubio - available HERE and provided below. 

Dear Secretary Rubio:  

I write concerning a $7.5 million payment made directly to the Government of Equatorial Guinea by the U.S. State Department in exchange for the country agreeing to accept third country nationals removed from the United States. This 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.   

According to Transparency International, Equatorial Guinea ranks 173rd out of 180 countries for corruption. The State Department’s 2023 Human Rights Report states that “the president and members of his inner circle continued to amass personal fortunes from the revenues associated with monopolies on all domestic commercial ventures…” and that “corruption at all levels of government was a severe problem” in Equatoria Guinea. This includes the President’s son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who currently serves as the Vice President. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice pursued a civil asset forfeiture case against Obiang Mangue alleging that he amassed more than $300 million worth of assets through “corruption and money laundering in violation of both U.S. and Equatoguinean law” including through purchasing a jet, a Malibu mansion and Michael Jackson memorabilia. In a settlement with the United States, Obiang Mangue was forced to relinquish assets worth approximately $30 million. In its 2025 Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House assigned Equatorial Guinea 0 out of 4 for whether “safeguards against official corruption [are] strong and effective.” The prevalence of corruption raises questions about the decision to provide a direct payment from the United States to Equatorial Guinea.  

There are also serious concerns about human trafficking and human rights abuses in Equatorial Guinea. The State Department’s own 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report raises as a “significant concern” the “corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes” by government officials in Equatorial Guinea. The report states: “Multiple credible sources alleged senior officials were involved in human trafficking crimes, particularly by exploiting women and girls in domestic servitude in their own households or in sex trafficking. Lower-level officials reportedly took bribes from undocumented foreign nationals and judges were accused of taking bribes and accepting goods in exchange for favorable rulings.” Based on these documented instances of trafficking in Equatorial Guinea by your team, I have serious concerns over whether, without appropriate oversight mechanisms and guardrails, a direct payment to Equatorial Guinea’s government could be used to facilitate human trafficking. I am also concerned about what protections are in place to ensure that third country nationals removed to Equatorial Guinea are themselves not vulnerable to human trafficking, smuggling or human rights abuses.  

This payment is also a stark departure from prior U.S. foreign assistance provided to Equatorial Guinea in both its size and direct delivery to the government. Over the past two administrations, the U.S. Government has not provided more than $2 million annually in foreign assistance for Equatorial Guinea; the highest the first Trump Administration provided was $780,000. The current proposal to provide $7.5 million represents an increase of 275 percent and would far exceed the amount of U.S. foreign assistance provided over the last 8 years combined. Further, with the exception of limited medical supplies, prior U.S. foreign assistance was provided only to trusted and vetted implementing partners, such as nongovernmental organizations or the United Nations—not the government of Equatorial Guinea directly—to carry out programs related to countering human trafficking, strengthening civil society or providing humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, this payment used funding from the Migration and Refugee Assistance account making this the first ever government-to-government transfer of such funds, which are intended to respond to global refugee and humanitarian crises. The nature of this payment raises questions about how it came about and how it is justified.  

Given Equatorial Guinea’s history of corruption, the State Department’s own concerns about government officials’ complicity in human trafficking and prior guardrails on U.S. assistance, I have serious concerns over the decision to provide such a substantial sum to Equatorial Guinea, and I request that you promptly respond to the following questions: 

1. How is the $7.5 payment to the government of Equatorial Guinea a permissible use of funds under the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, which is meant to assist refugees overseas?  

2. Is there an agreement (including a non-binding instrument or exchange of notes) between the government of Equatorial Guinea and the United States regarding this payment in exchange for the transfer of third country nationals? Was such an agreement brokered with Vice President Obiang Mangue—an individual under visa restrictions by the United States?  

3. How will the State Department ensure that none of the $7.5 million provided to the government of Equatorial Guinea will be used to facilitate corruption by government officials or enable human trafficking? 

4. What protections will be put in place to ensure that third country nationals removed to Equatorial Guinea are not vulnerable to human trafficking, human smuggling or human rights abuses? Did the U.S. Government receive credible assurances from the Government of Equatorial Guinea that third country nationals will not end up in the Black Beach Prison or Oveng Ansen Prison, known for serious human rights abuses?  

I look forward to your prompt response. ......

AGAIN it seems Trump is deporting people to 3rd countries where they have no ties.... and again a country with horrific human rights records... such as Equatorial Guinea. Summarized Overall human rights record, 2023–2024

Political context Equatorial Guinea remains a highly repressive, entrenched personalist dictatorship under President Teodoro Obiang (in power since 1979) and his family. Oil wealth and political power are concentrated in a narrow ruling elite, with limited space for opposition or civil society. Elections continue to be neither free nor fair; opposition parties face harassment, arbitrary detention, and severe obstacles to organizing.

Key human rights patterns (2023–2024)

• Serious, systemic abuses: The U.S. State Department’s 2023 and 2024 human-rights reports highlight credible reports of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, arbitrary arrest and detention, political prisoners, serious restrictions on freedom of expression and association, pervasive corruption, and impunity for security forces.

• Freedom of expression & media: No genuinely independent media operate in the country; state control, criminal defamation laws and surveillance incentivize self-censorship. Reporters Without Borders ranked Equatorial Guinea 120/180 in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, reflecting a heavily controlled media environment. In 2024, a proposed cybercrime bill raised further concerns over online freedom of expression, providing broad grounds for criminalizing online speech and expanding state surveillance.

• Association, assembly, and civil society: Authorities routinely deny registration to independent human rights groups and arbitrarily arrest activists. Amnesty International notes continued arbitrary arrests and detentions of human-rights defenders in 2024, including cases where defenders’ whereabouts were unknown. An Amnesty report in 2024 characterizes the country’s record as “an endless history” of repression, stressing decades-long crackdowns on NGOs and the dissolution of independent organizations.

• Digital repression & surveillance: Plans to expand mass surveillance intensified in 2024, alongside the restrictive cybercrime bill. The government enforced a year-long internet shutdown on Annobón Island after residents protested environmental damage from a construction company; dozens were reportedly imprisoned, and connectivity loss undermined health, banking and communications.

• Protests and local communities (Annobón): Residents of Annobón who protested alleged mining-related damage were persecuted, with arbitrary arrests and other reprisals reported in 2024.

• Judiciary and impunity: Courts lack independence and are under presidential control; due process rights are routinely violated. In 2024, Spain’s High Court ordered an arrest warrant for Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang (the president’s son) in connection with abduction and torture allegations against a Spanish citizen, reinforcing international concerns about impunity and abuse by senior officials.

LGBTI Equatorial Guinea:

Despite the absence of explicit criminalization, ILGA and other sources report ongoing state intimidation and societal stigmatization of LGBT people, with same-sex relationships widely condemned on moral and religious grounds. State structures more broadly are repressive toward civil society: human-rights defenders who try to document abuses—including those affecting LGBTI persons—face arbitrary detention, disappearance, violence, discrimination, and restrictions on association, making it extremely difficult to organize openly around SOGI issues . Digital space is increasingly unsafe for marginalized groups: proposed cybercrime legislation and expanded surveillance heighten risks of outing and monitoring of LGBTI activists or informal networks, particularly given the broader climate of fear and censorship. There are no known government programs to combat homophobia or transphobia, no inclusion of sexual orientation or gender identity in broader equality policies, and no effective complaint or remedy mechanisms for LGBTI-targeted abuse. Notably The Trump Admin eliminated the LGBT Section from the 2024 State Dept Human Rights Reports issues in 2025.