Why did the famously corrupt Vice President of Equatorial Guinea ask Stephen Miller to visit his country? It's all about deportations. The Trump administration has cut numerous shady agreements with foreign governments to forcibly deport thousands of people granted protection by U.S. courts to countries where they have no ties and could be subject to detention, abuse, or deportation back to the countries they originally fled. These cruel deals are one of the administration's harshest tools to deter people from seeking refuge in the U.S. and funnel resources to governments with a track record of corruption and repression. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Yael Schacher, Refugees International's Director for the Americas and Europe and co-lead with our partners at Human Rights First on the Third Country Deportation Watch project. She spells out the various deals the Trump administration has made with governments around the world and what toll they're exacting at a human level. We're also joined by Tutu Alicante, founder of Equatorial Guinea Justice, who offers insight into how corrupt governments – including Equatorial Guinea – are benefitting from third country deportation agreements. Timed Takeaways: [5:10] How did we get here? The Trump administration's assault on the right to refuge [11:11] Setting the scene: the political landscape in Equatorial Guinea [15:14] Exploring the transactional nature of these deals [28:31] Costa Rica: the second largest recipient of deportees from the U.S. [34:00] How is the U.S. legitimizing corrupt leaders with these agreements? [41:04] Cruelty by design: the human impact of these forced transfers [49:05] Khadija's story: the human toll of third country deportations [53:26] Roundup: Displacement in the news this week Mentioned in This Episode: <a href="https://www.thirdcountrydeportationwatch.org/">Third Country Deportation Watch</a> - Third Country Deportation Watch <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/10/deportations-equatorial-guinea-money"> US has sent $7.5m to Equatorial Guinea to accept noncitizen deportees</a> - The Guardian <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/world/americas/rubio-central-america-visit.html"> Latin America Gets Into Deal-Making Mode for Rubio's Visit</a> - New York Times <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/26/cecot-human-rights-petition"> Venezuelans deported by US detail fresh claims of torture and abuse at El Salvador mega-prison</a> - The Guardian <a href="https://www.wfp.org/news/new-fao-wfp-report-warns-worsening-hunger-puts-13-hotspots-significant-risk"> New FAO-WFP report warns worsening hunger puts 13 hotspots at significant risk</a> - UN World Food Program <a href="https://www.refugeesinternational.org/statements-and-news/refugees-international-sounds-alarm-on-imminent-atrocities-in-el-obeid-sudan/"> Refugees

"My Freedom was Taken from me." Exposing Trump's Shady Third Country Deportation Deals

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