Palau Agrees to Accept Up to 75 Third-Country Nationals in Exchange for U.S. Aid
Palau, a small Pacific nation with a population of about 18,000, has agreed to accept up to 75 third-country nationals who have never been charged with a crime to live and work on the islands. This agreement was formalized through a memorandum of understanding citing labor shortages as the primary motivation for the arrangement.
In exchange, the United States has committed $7.5 million in foreign aid to Palau aimed at supporting its public services. Additional financial support includes $6 million allocated for the civil service pension plan and $2 million for new law enforcement initiatives.
The deal was brokered during the Biden administration, reflecting ongoing U.S. efforts to manage deportations and immigration with international partners. Over a 20-year period, the U.S. State Department has pledged a total of $889 million in aid to Palau.
This arrangement is part of a broader context wherein the Trump administration accelerated mass deportations, with several countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Eswatini, South Sudan, Costa Rica, Panama, and El Salvador agreeing to accept deportees.
