In a shocking convergence of events, U.S. immigration adviser Stephen Miller spoke with Equatorial Guinea’s vice president on the very day two men deported from the U.S. were reportedly hooded, bound, and beaten by police in the African nation.

This unsettling incident occurred on September 11, when Ahmed Soliman and Samson Birhane faced assault at Hotel Bamy, a temporary detention facility harboring 29 migrants sent there under President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

According to a report from The New York Times, armed officers threatened the men while demanding to know the whereabouts of cell phones they had used to alert outsiders to dire conditions within the facility, including lack of basic necessities.

The conversation between Miller and Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is the son of Equatorial Guinea’s long-time authoritarian president, was described in a statement attributed to the ruling party as discussing “different issues related to migration.”

However, there is no indication that the brutal treatment of Soliman and Birhane, or the general treatment of deportees at the hotel, was mentioned during their discussion. The White House has yet to disclose any details about the conversation.

The timing of the phone call has raised significant concerns about U.S. oversight of conditions faced by deportees after they are sent to foreign countries. On the same day as Miller’s call, U.S. Ambassador David Gilmour also met with the vice president of Equatorial Guinea.

Lawyers advocating for Soliman, Birhane, and others detained at the hotel have been increasingly frustrated, asserting that their numerous requests for intervention went unanswered as conditions there further deteriorated.

Reports indicate that the facility struggles with inadequate food and clean water, raising alarms further due to the housing of a suspected Ebola patient.

Both men had previously been granted protection against removal from the U.S. due to credible fears of torture if they returned to their respective countries—Egypt and Eritrea.

Despite these protections, the Trump administration has aimed to deport such individuals to third countries willing to accept them, often without providing legal standing.

Equatorial Guinea had previously assured U.S. officials via diplomatic channels that the deportees would not be mistreated, but the recent incidents have put this commitment into question.

Critics of the U.S. administration’s policies argue that it is unacceptable for the government to evade responsibility for how foreign nations treat deported individuals.

As public scrutiny intensifies, the call’s timing raises lingering questions about the extent of accountability expected from U.S. officials regarding the welfare of deportees.

In legal filings, the Trump administration has maintained that it holds no responsibility for the treatment of individuals once they are under the jurisdiction of another country.

Yet, with pressing concerns mounting over reports of abuse and neglect, advocates and legal representatives are demanding urgent action from U.S. officials to ensure the safety and humane treatment of these vulnerable individuals.

In the wake of these events, both the State Department and the White House have remained silent when inquiries were made for comment, leaving a cloud of uncertainty over U.S. immigration practices.

The plight of Soliman, Birhane, and others like them sheds light on the broader implications of U.S. immigration policy, particularly as it interfaces with the human rights situations in the countries they are being deported to.

As this situation unfolds, the actions and responses from U.S. officials could set critical precedents affecting immigration policy and international human rights standards.