The government of Eswatini has confirmed that five foreign nationals deported by the United States have been held in isolated units at local correctional facilities and will be sent back to their countries of origin.Â
The deportees, originally from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, were removed from the U.S. under a new third-country deportation policy approved by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month.
The five men, all convicted of serious crimes while in the U.S., arrived in Eswatini on a chartered deportation flight earlier this week. U.S. officials stated their home countries refused to accept them.
“These are individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in a statement posted on X.
Eswatini’s government responded by stating that it had not agreed to host the deportees permanently. According to acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli, the men are in “transit only” and will be repatriated.
“The governments of Eswatini and the United States, along with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), will facilitate the transit of these inmates to their countries of origin,” Ms. Mdluli said on Wednesday.
“They are being held in isolation units and pose no threat to the country or its citizens,” she added.
However, the IOM has stated that it was not involved in the deportation and had not been asked to assist with repatriation, contradicting Eswatini’s claim of a joint effort.
The development has caused outrage within Eswatini’s civil society and opposition groups.
“We condemn the bringing of hardcore convicts to our country to mix with our young convicts who still have a chance to be rehabilitated,” said Mphandlana Shongwe, a member of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).
“We can approach the courts, the International Court of Justice, or any other legal institutions to possibly complain,” he said.
Another critic, Prince Bailey from the Swaziland United Democratic Front, said:
“These deportations make Eswatini look like a dumping site for people that the American government sees as unworthy.”
The U.S. Embassy in Mbabane issued a brief statement confirming that the five men are under the custody of Eswatini authorities.
“The relevant authorities are ensuring the safety and well-being of these individuals in accordance with Eswatini’s sovereign laws and international norms and obligations,” said Carly Van Orman, an embassy spokesperson.
Legal experts and human rights groups in the U.S. have raised concerns over the legality and morality of deporting individuals to third countries where they have no connection.
“This is another clear example of how the United States is flagrantly violating the law restricting it from deporting people to countries where they will likely be persecuted or tortured,” said Matt Adams, a lawyer for migrants recently deported to South Sudan under the same policy.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court permitted the deportation of eight men to South Sudan, even though only one of them is South Sudanese. Their families say they have not heard from them since.
Back in Eswatini, questions remain about what was exchanged in return for accepting the deportees. Ms. Mdluli said she could not reveal the terms of the agreement due to its classified nature.
“Every agreement is done with meticulous care and consideration, putting the interests of both nations at the forefront,” she stated.
Eswatini, a landlocked country between South Africa and Mozambique, has a population of 1.2 million and is governed by King Mswati III, one of the world’s few remaining absolute monarchs.
While the Eswatini government maintains that it is respecting diplomatic protocols, many citizens see the move as a violation of national dignity.
“The West is always disrespecting us as Africans and thinking we are their dumpsite,” said Lioness Sibande, Secretary General of the Swaziland Peoples Liberation Movement.
There is currently no confirmed timeline for the repatriation of the five men.
