The island nation of Palau agreed to take 75 deportees from the United States in exchange for $7.5 million in aid.
“The United States deeply appreciates Palau’s cooperation in enforcing U.S. immigration laws, which remains a top priority for the Trump administration,” the U.S. Embassy in Koror said in a statement. “In this regard, the United States granted $7.5 million to address the needs of relevant Palau public services.”
“Palau and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding allowing up to 75 third country nationals, who have never been charged with a crime, to live and work in Palau, helping address local labor shortages in needed occupations,” President Surangel Whipps Jr.’s office confirmed. The statement added that Whipps “noted that this has never been just a policy question on paper, but a decision about people seeking safety and stability and about the serious migration pressures faced by the United States.”
“Palau would have to agree on a case-by-case basis as to individuals who will be arriving in Palau under the arrangement,” the statement added, noting that each migrant will be screened.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a December 29 statement that Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau spoke today with Whipps to “reaffirm the close U.S.-Palau partnership and underscore our nations’ shared resolve to address regional and global challenges together.” Discussions pertained to the new U.S.-Palau Memorandum of Understanding regarding the transfer of third-country nationals with no known criminal histories” and “highlighted U.S. commitments to partner with Palau on strengthening the country’s health care infrastructure, increasing Palau’s capacity to combat transnational crime and drug trafficking, and bolstering Palau’s civil service pension system.”
