Burkina Faso's military government has refused to take in deportees from the US as Washington suspended issuing visas in the West African nation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré questioned if the embassy's decision was blackmail after he said he had rejected an American proposal to take in migrants from third countries.
Donald Trump's administration has turned to African countries as a destination to deport migrants to as part of his crackdown on immigration.
The US State Department and Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment.
Burkina Faso's leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré styles himself as a pan-African champion, standing up to Western imperialism.
His military government seized power in a coup three years ago and has had a frosty relationship with Western nations ever since.
Appearing on state broadcaster RTB late on Thursday, the foreign minister asked: Is this a way to put pressure on us? Is this blackmail? Whatever it is... Burkina Faso is a place of dignity, a destination, not a place of expulsion.
He stated he had a meeting with the US Embassy on Wednesday, where he rejected a repeated offer to accept deportees.
On Thursday, the US embassy in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou announced on its website that it would temporarily pause issuing immigrant, tourist, student, and business traveler visas.
Instead, residents of Burkina Faso will have to travel to the US embassy in the capital of neighboring Togo.
Traoré added he had received a diplomatic note from the US explaining that Burkina Faso was put on a list of countries whose nationals had not respected rules around US visas, referencing the US proposals.
Though several African nations including Eswatini, Ghana, and Rwanda have recently accepted deportees, Nigeria has refused to accept any US deportees.
Trump's crackdown aims to deport millions of immigrants in the US illegally, leading Traoré to label the proposals as indecent and against the principles of dignity.
