‘Asylum seekers’ or ‘despicable human beings’: US proposal to resettle deportees in Palau remains vague
- Admin
- Oct 20
- 3 min read
Council of Chiefs still refuses to give the nod due to 'lack of clarity' and 'unresolved questions'
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
The U.S. government is proposing to send as many as 75 “refugees” to Palau and will defray the costs of accommodating them, the Pacific island nation's president said, in a bid to convince the reluctant lawmakers and traditional chiefs to grant Washington’s plea.
The Council of Chiefs, however, restated its veto of the Trump administration's request, despite President Surangel Whipps Jr.'s assurance that the proposed resettlement involved only foreigners who “have no criminal background" other than "potential criminal charges" for illegal entry into the U.S.
Noting discrepant details, the traditional chiefs remain apprehensive of the plan, which they said was presented differently when it was first introduced.
The draft agreement Whipps presented in July made a humanitarian appeal on behalf of “asylum-seekers," who would be relocated off U.S. soil.
Whipp’s Oct. 3 letter to Congress “now refers to deportees,” the council pointed out.
“The term ‘deportees’ means being expelled from a country and raises many questions in our minds as to precisely what types of people we are dealing with,” the council writes in an Oct. 16 letter to the president.
In April, Secretary of State Mark Rubio disclosed that the Trump administration was “working with other countries to say ‘we want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your country and you do that as a favor to us.'”
“The farther away from America, the better, so they can’t come back across the border,” Rubio said. “I am not apologetic about it. We’re doing that. The president was elected to keep Americans safe and get rid of a bunch of perverts, pedophiles and child rapists out of the country.”
During a leadership meeting in Koror last week, Whipps said executive and legislative officials agreed that Palau should have a say in who would be admitted into the country.
“A clear line was drawn by everyone from the beginning—that Palau is not in a position to accept people with criminal backgrounds,” the president’s office said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Whipps said the U.S. has offered law enforcement assistance to Palau, “in acknowledgement of our challenges like protecting our nation's borders from drug smuggling.”
But the council said Palau’s “peace and tranquility” must precede any economic perks that the U.S. may offer in exchange for hosting undesirable aliens.
Earlier this month, Senate President Hokkons Baules reiterated the parliament's recommendation for Palau to reject the U.S.'s resettlement proposal.
Whipps remains hopeful that Palau's Congress and the Council of Chiefs will reconsider their stance.
"There was a consensus that our democratic partner, the United States, made this request and we should at least be open to discussion,” the president's office said.
The council, however, is wary of accepting deportees from the U.S.—whether or not they are “refugees” or “asylum seekers”—citing the lack of clarity and the number of unresolved questions arising from the proposal.
“We wish to emphasize a value raised by many Palauans—that Palau continues to be a peaceful Pristine Paradise, home for all of us and our children and continues to be promoted internationally as a Pristine Paradise for our guests, visitors and friends,” the council said.
“The situation of allowing those who have been denied stay in the U.S. and deported to Palau evokes a perception of conflict, displacement, crime and instability that contrast with Palau’s image as a peaceful, secure and beautiful island destination," it added.
Subscribe to
our digital
monthly edition
