Cuban man beaten by ICE and deported to Equatorial Guinea despite promise of return
Sep 19, 2026
Country of origin: Cuba

Carlos Rodríguez, a Cuban migrant, was one of five deportees who refused to leave the ICE deportation plane upon landing, saying they did not feel safe; he says officers carried him off the aircraft and beat him while he was handcuffed. He and three other Cubans, along with a Brazilian, had been told by authorities that if they stayed calm they would be returned to the United States, but the plane instead delivered them to Equatorial Guinea. "This is human trafficking, they trafficked us on a plane," he told EL PAÍS.
Sources
- Held in hotels or detained for a year after being deported to Africa: ‘This is called human trafficking’
english.elpais.com·Sep 19, 2026·archived copy
- Cuban deported by ICE to Liberia ends up in Equatorial Guinea without documents
en.cibercuba.com·Aug 21, 2026·archived copy
- justsecurity.org
- “They’re Trafficking With My Life”: Cuban Man Describes Deportation From the U.S. to Africa (VIDEO)
mundonow.com·Aug 27, 2026
- Four Cuban Men Among Deportees Refusing to Leave Plane in Liberia, Sent to Equatorial Guinea
cubaheadlines.com·Aug 25, 2026
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