The visit forms part of Leo’s final full day on an 11-day, four-nation Africa tour and continues a tradition established by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who prioritized prison outreach to highlight inmate welfare and systemic injustices.

Leo was scheduled to begin the day with a Mass in Mongomo before traveling to Bata, where he was also due to attend a memorial for victims of a 2021 military barracks explosion blamed on negligence.Human rights groups have intensified calls for the pope to address both domestic prison conditions and the implications of US deportation policies.

On the eve of the visit, around 70 organizations issued an open letter urging Leo to speak out against the transfer of migrants to countries where they have no ties and to discourage African governments from participating in such arrangements.

Equatorial Guinea’s justice system has faced sustained criticism from international bodies and advocacy groups. The United Nations welcomed the country’s abolition of the death penalty in 2022, but reports have continued to cite arbitrary arrests, political detentions, torture and poor prison conditions, as well as concerns over judicial independence.

The US State Department’s 2023 human rights report highlighted similar issues, including unlawful killings and life-threatening detention environments.Amnesty International has also raised concerns, stating that torture has been used to extract confessions and punish detainees, while harassment of human rights defenders and deficiencies in due process remain widespread.

The country, led by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo since 1979, has denied allegations of systemic abuses. Authorities have not publicly responded to questions regarding reported violations linked to agreements with the United States to accept deported migrants.

According to reporting by the Associated Press, at least 29 migrants with no ties to Equatorial Guinea have been deported there under such arrangements. While not held in the Bata prison, some remain detained in the capital Malabo with restricted access to legal and medical services, while others have been returned to their countries of origin, where they may face persecution.

Leo, the first US-born pope, has previously criticized US migration deportation policies as “extremely disrespectful.” Advocacy groups have urged him to use the visit to press for reforms, including improved detention conditions, judicial accountability and protections for migrants.

Tutu Alicante, head of the EG Justice organization, said the government had taken limited steps to improve certain facilities but warned that sustained reform would be the true measure of progress.

He called for sentence reviews and broader judicial changes as signals of commitment to justice and reconciliation.

The trawler, which departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh on April 4 and was bound for Malaysia, sank amid heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding, the UN agency said in a statement. Preliminary information indicated that around 280 people were on board when the vessel went down.

The passengers were believed to include Rohingya refugees leaving overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, where more than a million people displaced from Myanmar’s Rakhine State have been living in difficult conditions.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard said one of its vessels rescued nine survivors, including a woman, on April 9 after spotting individuals clinging to debris in waters near the Andaman Islands. Survivors were found floating on makeshift supports such as drums and logs after spending extended periods at sea.

One survivor, Rafiqul Islam, said traffickers had promised him employment in Malaysia before he boarded the vessel. He told AFP that passengers were confined in cramped conditions during the journey, with some dying before the boat capsized.

He said he endured burns from spilled oil and remained adrift for nearly 36 hours before being rescued.The incident highlights the ongoing movement of Rohingya refugees undertaking perilous sea journeys in search of safety and economic opportunity.

Malaysia remains a key destination for migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of whom work in sectors such as construction and agriculture.The UNHCR said the tragedy reflects the broader consequences of prolonged displacement and limited pathways for safe return.

It called for renewed efforts to address the underlying causes of the Rohingya crisis and to create conditions for voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation to Myanmar.

The Andaman Sea, which borders Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsula, has seen repeated incidents involving migrant boats. Last year, the UNHCR reported that more than 400 Rohingya were feared dead in separate shipwrecks off Myanmar’s coast.

During oral arguments, several conservative justices signaled openness to the government’s request to revive the practice known as “metering,” which caps the number of migrants allowed to apply for asylum at official border crossings.

The U.S. Department of Justice argued the measure is a necessary tool to manage surges in migration and has been used under multiple administrations.

Critics, including immigration advocates, said the policy previously triggered a humanitarian crisis by forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, often in makeshift camps, before being allowed to present claims.

The practice is not currently in force, and Trump has separately ordered a broader suspension of asylum processing during his second term.

The case centers on interpretation of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which guarantees that individuals who “arrive” in the United States may apply for asylum if they fear persecution. Government lawyers contend the provision applies only once migrants are physically inside U.S. territory, not when they are turned away at the border.

Attorneys representing migrants argued the law has long been understood to include individuals presenting themselves at ports of entry, and that restricting access violates statutory protections.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned whether current interpretations create incentives for illegal entry over lawful arrival, while Chief Justice John Roberts pressed both sides on where legal eligibility for asylum begins.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson raised procedural concerns, noting the absence of an active policy and questioning whether the court was evaluating hypothetical scenarios rather than a live dispute.

Metering was first introduced during the administration of Barack Obama and later expanded nationwide under Trump. The policy ended in 2020 amid pandemic-related restrictions and was formally rescinded by Joe Biden in 2021.

That same year, a federal district court ruled the practice unlawful, finding it violated both constitutional protections and federal asylum law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the decision, though internal divisions among judges highlighted ongoing legal uncertainty.

The case is one of several major immigration disputes before the court this term, including challenges related to birthright citizenship and the administration’s efforts to roll back protections for migrants fleeing conflict and instability.U.S. law allows individuals granted asylum to remain in the country, work legally, reunite with immediate family members, and eventually seek permanent residency and citizenship.

Since taking office in January, Trump has upended U.S. foreign policy, slashing foreign aid, imposing tariffs on friend and foe alike and cultivating warmer – if volatile – relations with Russia.

At the same time he has sought, so far with only limited success, to solve some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.

Some 150 heads of state or government are expected to address the chamber this week, including Trump, who is the second scheduled speaker after the session opens at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).

Trump will speak eight months into a second term marked by severe aid cuts that have sparked humanitarian worries and have raised doubts about the U.N.’s future, prompting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to try to trim costs and improve efficiency.

White House officials have yet to provide guidance on what Trump will say.

But according to planning documents reviewed by Reuters, the Trump administration plans to call this week for sharply narrowing the right to asylum, seeking to undo the post-World War Two framework around humanitarian protection.

Trump’s more restrictive stance would include requiring asylum-seekers to claim protection in the first country they enter, not a nation of their choosing, a State Department spokesperson said.

Guterres and Trump are expected to meet formally for the first time since Trump returned to office in January.

Trump describes the U.N. as having “great potential” but says it has to get its “act together.” He has maintained the same wary stance on multilateralism that was a hallmark of his first term from 2017 to 2021 and also accused the world body of failing to help him try to broker peace in various conflicts.

Calls For a Palestinian State

The General Assembly takes place as the war between Israel and Hamas approaches its second anniversary on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due the address the General Assembly on Friday.

Dozens of world leaders gathered on Monday to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the United States.

The most far-right government in Israel’s history has declared there will be no Palestinian state as it pushes on with its fight against militant group Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people.

Israel has drawn global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also address the General Assembly.