The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau has agreed to accept up to 75 illegal migrants from the United States in a deal worth $7.5million.
Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to expel undocumented migrants, has accelerated deportations and cracked down on border crossings since returning to power.
The country of Palau is about 500 miles off the Philippines, and part of an archipelago of small island nations. The island was also the location for the filming of Survivor: Palau, the 10th season of the reality show.
Under a new memorandum of understanding, Palau will let the migrants live and work on the sparsely populated archipelago, officials said Wednesday.
The $7.5million return from the US will go into public service and infrastructure projects in Palau.
With some 18,000 people spread across hundreds of volcanic isles and coral atolls, Palau is by population one of the smallest countries in the world.
The migrants from the United States have not been charged with crimes and will help to fill needed jobs in Palau, both sides said.
‘Palau would have to agree on a case-by-case basis as to individuals who will be arriving in Palau under the arrangement,’ the Pacific nation said in a statement.
The deal was announced following a call between Palau President Surangel Whipps and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau has agreed to accept up to 75 illegal migrants from the United States in a deal worth $7.5million
Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to expel undocumented migrants, has accelerated deportations and cracked down on border crossings since returning to power
‘Through this partnership, the United States and Palau are taking concrete steps to strengthen our security and protect our communities, while also fostering a safe, more secure, and more prosperous Indo-Pacific region,’ the US State Department said in a separate statement.
During the call with Whipps, Landau said the United States was committed to building a new hospital and improving Palau’s capacity to respond to national disasters.
Washington will also provide additional funding of $6million for reforms to prevent the collapse of Palau’s civil service pension plan, while adding another $2million for law enforcement initiatives.
The Palauan archipelago — a string of limestone islands and coral atolls — lies about 500 miles east of the Philippines.
Whipps has overseen the expansion of US military interests since winning power in 2020, including the construction of a long-range US radar outpost, a crucial early warning system as China ramps up military activity in the Taiwan Strait.
Palau gained independence in 1994 but allows the US military to use its territory under a longstanding ‘Compact of Free Association’ agreement.
In return, the United States gives Palau hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary support and assumes responsibility for its national defense.
Earlier in December, the Department of Homeland Security claimed they had secured 2.5million deportations since Trump returned to office on January 20.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been the face of Trump’s deportation campaign
Under a new memorandum of understanding, Palau will let the migrants live and work on the sparsely populated archipelago, officials said Wednesday
That includes 1.9million illegal migrants who chose to self-deport, in exchange for a $1,000 bonus and a free flight home.
‘Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now. They know if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return,’ said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
The final year of Joe Biden’s presidency saw just 271,000 removed, which was an increase from 142,000 in 2023.
Officials surrounding the president have noted that the Trump administration has achieved its goals despite the courts getting in the way.
