US Deports Migrants from Jamaica, Vietnam, Yemen, Cuba and Laos to Eswatini
Five Individuals Deported from the US to Eswatini Due to Criminal Records
The United States has sent five men to the African nation of Eswatini as part of the Trump administration’s initiative to broaden its third-country deportation policy, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released on Tuesday.
Previously, eight men were deported to South Sudan after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on deporting individuals to countries where they do not have ties.
In an update posted late at night on X, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, confirmed that the men—citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos—arrived in Eswatini via flight.
She remarked that these individuals were all convicted criminals and characterized them as “people so exceptionally dangerous that their home countries refused to accept them back.”
As of now, authorities in Eswatini have not provided any statements regarding agreements for accepting third-country deportees or what will happen to these individuals within their borders.
The Trump administration has indicated a desire to establish further agreements with African nations for accepting deportees from the U.S. However, some countries have pushed back against this pressure; Nigeria has specifically announced it will not comply with U.S. demands regarding the repatriation of foreign nationals.
Additionally, the U.S. has relocated hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama.
Eswatini is situated between South Africa and Mozambique and is home to around 1.2 million residents. It stands as one of the last absolute monarchies globally—and uniquely so in Africa—with King Mswati III having governed by decree since 1986. The country was once known as Swaziland.
Political parties are largely banned in Eswatini, and pro-democracy groups have long asserted that Mswati III employs various tactics—including violence—to suppress political dissent.
