Tiny Pacific Island Strikes Lucrative Deal to House U.S. Deportees [View all]

Source: MEDIAite

Dec 27th, 2025, 12:49 pm


The small Pacific Island nation of Palau struck a $7.5 million deal with President Donald Trump’s administration in exchange for taking in up to 75 deportees from the U.S. A “memo of understanding” was signed on Wednesday following a call between Palau President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to discuss the details of the agreement and “the challenges both nations face and how they are working together,” according to a statement from Whipps’s office.

“The discussion included several new initiatives that help both our nations move forward,” the statement said. “Palau welcomed U.S. commitments that deepen a long standing partnership and deliver concrete benefits for Palauan people in health care, security, pensions, disaster resilience, and labor. Together, Palau and the United States also reaffirmed a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that protects both nations’ prosperity and security.”

This statement affirms that “75 third country nationals, who have never been charged with a crime” can live and work in Palau, which has an estimated population of 17,700, to help address local labor shortages. A $7.5 million grant from the U.S. in exchange will allow Palau to meet “related public service and infrastructure needs, while both countries continue close cooperation on immigration and security matters.”

The island nation’s new role in accepting third country nationals comes amid a large push by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration and increase deportation numbers.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/tiny-pacific-island-strikes-lucrative-deal-to-house-u-s-deportees/