Arizona Democrats Intervene In Case Of Deported Convict Arrested In Equatorial Guinea

Arizona Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva and Sen. Mark Kelly have intervened in the case of an Egyptian national who was deported after serving two years in prison for narcotics possession and aggravated assault and was subsequently reportedly arrested in Equatorial Guinea.

Grijalva said she contacted the Embassy of Equatorial Guinea concerning Ahmed Soliman, 30, and planned to raise the matter with the State Department. Kelly’s office also contacted the department, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

“I am deeply concerned for the safety of Ahmed Soliman after he was deported to Equatorial Guinea and subsequently arrested by local authorities,” Grijalva wrote on X on Sept. 15. “We need answers immediately.”

Soliman came to the United States from Egypt with his family when he was four and spent most of his life in Arizona. He caused a 2021 automobile collision while driving under the influence of fentanyl and was convicted of narcotics possession and aggravated assault in 2023, according to the Daily Star.

After Soliman served two years in prison, Immigration and Customs Enforcement took him into custody following his release in 2025. He spent approximately six months in immigration detention facilities in Arizona and California before ICE removed him to Equatorial Guinea on April 28.

An immigration judge granted Soliman protection under the Convention Against Torture in October 2025 after finding that he would likely face torture or death in Egypt because of his sexual orientation and his family’s political activity.

The Star, citing Soliman’s September 2025 application for CAT protection, reported that his father was a prominent Muslim scholar who received threats from Egyptian officials after criticizing the government of then-President Hosni Mubarak. The cited reports do not identify his father or independently document those activities.

Protection under CAT is country-specific. Federal regulations governing CAT deferral state that it does not confer lawful or permanent immigration status, prevents removal only to the country where torture is likely and permits removal to another country where the person is not likely to be tortured.

ICE spokesman Fernando X. Burgos defended third-country removal agreements as a “necessary tool to protect the American people.” He told the Star that the agreements allow ICE to remove people convicted of serious crimes when court orders prevent their return to their countries of origin.

Soliman’s attorneys filed a federal habeas corpus petition challenging the length of his immigration detention. After learning that ICE was preparing to remove him, they filed an emergency motion on April 27 asking U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker to block the transfer.

Hinderaker denied the requested temporary restraining order and granted expedited consideration of the underlying petition, according to the Star’s account of the federal proceedings. ICE placed Soliman aboard a flight to Equatorial Guinea the following day. The habeas case was later dismissed because Soliman was no longer in U.S. custody.

Soliman and his attorneys allege that ICE failed to provide adequate notice of the destination or allow him to present a fear claim concerning Equatorial Guinea. The Star reported that DHS acknowledged in a court filing that Soliman did not receive a fear screening and argued that one was unnecessary because Equatorial Guinea had provided diplomatic assurances that people removed there would not be tortured.

Burgos said ICE provides notification forms and medical clearances before third-country removals and refers expressed fear claims to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

After arriving in Equatorial Guinea, Soliman was confined with other people deported from the United States at Hotel Bamy in Malabo. Approximately 30 third-country deportees were being held at the hotel by September, according to The American Prospect.

Soliman spoke with Reuters, the Star and the Prospect about his confinement and described alleged mistreatment by local authorities. Reuters reported, based on three witnesses and video footage it reviewed, that police pointed what appeared to be semiautomatic assault rifles at Soliman and other deportees during a Sept. 5 confrontation. Reuters said it could not independently verify what preceded the confrontation.

Security forces later seized the deportees’ phones and cited Reuters’ report as the reason, according to messages Soliman sent to his attorney that were shared with the news agency.

Attorney Kate O’Donnell told Reuters that local security forces removed Soliman from Hotel Bamy on Sept. 11. A coalition of attorneys and advocacy organizations representing the deportees said another man was arrested during the same operation.

The coalition said police searched rooms at the hotel before making the arrests. Its Sept. 11 statement said it could not confirm where the men were taken or determine their condition.

O’Donnell told the Prospect that Soliman’s arrest appeared to be retaliation for his media interviews. The government of Equatorial Guinea and its embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters’ questions about the arrest or Soliman’s whereabouts. The cited reports did not identify any charges against him or disclose where he was being held.

The Trump administration has defended third-country deportation agreements as lawful and said removals are conducted in accordance with federal immigration law, Reuters reported.

DHS told the Prospect that ICE was no longer responsible for Soliman after his departure from United States custody. Burgos gave the Star the same position, saying ICE does not track deportees’ locations or activities after they leave the country.