Eswatini: Five Immigrants Deported from US Placed in Detention

By Kautotwa Eugenia

MBABANE, Eswatini – On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, the United States deported five foreign nationals to Eswatini, a small African kingdom, marking a significant and controversial expansion of the Trump administration’s “third-country” deportation program. This follows a similar deportation of eight individuals to South Sudan earlier in the month.

The five individuals, identified as citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, were all convicted of violent crimes in the U.S., including murder, child rape, assault, and robbery. According to Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, their home countries refused to accept them back due to the severe nature of their offenses. McLaughlin described the deportees as “uniquely barbaric” individuals who had been “terrorizing American communities”.

The Eswatini government confirmed the arrival of the five individuals, referring to them as “inmates” or “prisoners,” on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli stated they are “currently housed in our Correctional facilities in isolated units” and are considered “in transit,” with the ultimate goal of sending them back to their home countries. Eswatini also announced collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the U.S. to ensure “due process and respect for human rights” during repatriation.

However, this deportation has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations. Eswatini, an absolute monarchy ruled by King Mswati III since 1986, has a concerning human rights record, with the U.S. State Department’s own 2023 report citing credible accounts of unlawful killings, impunity for abuses, and harsh prison conditions. Critics argue that sending individuals to such a country, especially without clear transparency regarding the agreements, raises serious human rights concerns, including the risk of torture or arbitrary detention.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently lifted restrictions on sending individuals to countries where they have no familial or legal ties, enabling these “third-country” deportations. This policy, often conducted with limited notice to deportees, has been criticized by UN human rights experts who warn of the risks of torture, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary deprivation of life, emphasizing that diplomatic assurances “cannot be taken at face value”.

The Eswatini deportation highlights a growing tension between U.S. immigration enforcement goals and international human rights obligations, with the long-term fate of these deportees remaining uncertain.