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The United States has started deporting migrants to Palau under a controversial resettlement deal, according to a statement from the Pacific island nation’s presidential office on Wednesday.
The move aligns with accelerated efforts under US President Donald Trump to expel undocumented migrants and asylum seekers by sending them to unexpected partner nations like Uganda, El Salvador, and Rwanda.
Palau, one of the world’s smallest countries by population, previously agreed to accept up to 75 deportees with clean criminal records in exchange for $7.5 million in American infrastructure aid.
The island nation welcomed its first deportee at the airport in late May, assisting him with a temporary residence and phone setup.
However, the unidentified man chose not to remain in the tropical archipelago, departing after just two weeks.
Officials have not released basic details regarding the man’s identity, his reasons for deportation, or his current location, and the International Organisation for Migration confirmed that the individual declined their assistance during his brief stay.
The relocation deal has triggered severe domestic backlash within Palau, prompting a group of senators to launch a failed legal challenge to block the arrivals.
Despite internal political resistance, Palau remains one of Washington’s closest Pacific allies.
The country allows the US military to utilise its territory and build outposts under a strategic Compact of Free Association agreement, which grants Palau hundreds of millions of dollars in financial support and guarantees its national defence.
