Lawmakers in Palau vote to deny the contentious Trump agreement to resettle US migrants.

The Senate voted to prohibit a contentious Trump administration pact to move deportees from the United States to the small Pacific nation of Palau, raising doubts about the program’s viability. The pact, which permits up to 75 third-country migrants facing removal from the US to live and work in Palau, was signed by president Surangel Whipps Jr in December. Whipps Jr. will make the final decision once Palau’s lower house considers the contract.

The agreement is a part of a larger aid package to Palau that also includes $7.5 million for the resettlement of third-country citizens and $2 million for security activities. However, the senate of Palau decided in January to reject the resettlement agreement and call for a public vote on the matter. Palauans would be asked if non-Palauan people who have been deported from the United States should be allowed back into their nation.

The referendum would be non-binding but lawmakers said it would “serve as guidance to the national government in determining whether to accept any individuals” under the US deal. In a written statement to the Guardian, Whipps Jr said the deal with the US will offer “a lawful, humane solution that respects our people, our laws, and our limited capacity as a small island nation”.

However, since the Trump administration contacted Palau in July 2025, the agreement to resettle US deportees there has encountered strong pushback from the nation’s traditional leaders and legislators.  In letters to the president, the Council of Chiefs – a powerful organization which brings together Palau’s 16 tribe chiefs – stated the country was “not ready, willing, and prepared to venture into this new area of responsibility”. It cautioned that permitting deportees to enter Palau could jeopardize the social cohesiveness and cultural values of the nation.

“We were taken by surprise when a signed MOU [memorandum of understanding] between our government and the US embassy was brought to our attention very recently,” the Council of Chiefs said in a letter to Whipps Jr in January.

In its bill blocking the US deal, Palau’s senators said the country, which is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, “is not suited to serve as a country of deportation, relocation or resettlement” because of its “geographic size, infrastructure and resource constraints”.

Whipps Jr said Palau will “review each individual on a case‑by‑case basis and will decide who may come here”. “We are particularly focused on individuals whose skills and professions can help fill genuine gaps in our workforce and contribute positively to our communities.”