The government of Eswatini has announced it will repatriate five foreign nationals deported there by the United States under its controversial third-country deportation policy. The announcement follows intense domestic criticism and international concern. The five individuals—citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos—were flown into Eswatini earlier this week. U.S. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the deportation in a post on X, stating that the men were convicted criminals whose home countries had refused to accept their return. She described them as “individuals so uniquely barbaric” that repatriation to their countries of origin was deemed impossible.
Eswatini is now the latest African nation involved in the U.S. third-country deportation program, a policy revived under the Trump administration to offload deportees with no viable return options. Previously, similar deportations have occurred to South Sudan, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. The move sparked swift backlash in Eswatini, where opposition figures and human rights activists condemned the government’s involvement. “We strongly oppose the importation of hardened criminals to mix with young, rehabilitatable offenders in our system,” said Mphandlana Shongwe of the People’s United Democratic Movement. “This is not rehabilitation; it’s dumping.” Prince Bailey of the Swaziland United Democratic Front added that the deportations risked portraying Eswatini as “a dumping ground for people the U.S. deems unworthy.”
In response, government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the deportees posed “no security threat” and were being held in isolated units within correctional facilities while “in transit.” She added that the repatriation process is being coordinated with the U.S. government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), though no timeline was given. The episode highlights the broader controversy surrounding third-country deportations, particularly as nations like Nigeria and others resist U.S. pressure to accept non-citizens. With increasing legal and political challenges expected, Eswatini’s role in the policy has placed the small kingdom at the center of a growing international debate on deportation ethics and national sovereignty.
