TUCSON, Ariz. — Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva issued a statement in response to a court order ordering the return of an Arizona man who was unlawfully deported to Equatorial Guinea.
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“I am relieved that the courts have affirmed what we knew all along: Ahmed’s deportation to a third country was unlawful and needlessly put his life in danger. Rather than dragging out the legal process, the U.S. government must act immediately to facilitate his safe return.
The Trump Administration must also immediately suspend all third-country deportations and uphold its obligations under federal and international law to protect people from being sent to countries where they face persecution, torture, or other serious harm.”
Ahmed Soliman, an Egyptian national, was unlawfully deported to Equatorial Guinea and has remained there since April.
Since learning about his story, Grijalva has been a vocal advocate for his return.
Lawyers said they believed his arrest was retaliation for him raising the alarm about the conditions of his detention and the police violence he endured.
Immigration lawyers say the Trump administration uses deportations to third countries as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum seekers back to their countries of origin. Equatorial Guinea is one of at least eight African nations to have entered into such an agreement with the United States.
Equatorial Guinea is one of Africa's richest countries because of its oil resources, but U.S. officials say it is also plagued by corruption and human rights abuses.
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