WASHINGTON (BN24) — The Trump administration has deported five foreign nationals to the African kingdom of Eswatini in what officials described as part of a broader campaign to remove individuals whose countries of origin refuse to accept them — a strategy that has ignited fresh concerns over human rights and due process.
The government of Eswatini confirmed Wednesday that it received five deportees from the United States, identifying the individuals as citizens of Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, and Yemen. The deportations are the latest example of the Trump administration’s effort to use third-party countries to expel individuals whom their home nations have refused to repatriate.
“This is the result of months of robust high-level engagements,” Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said in a statement, noting the deportees are being held in correctional facilities in isolated units “where similar offenders are kept.” While affirming Eswatini’s commitment to international human rights standards, Mdluli acknowledged the sensitivity of accepting non-citizens for deportation and said her government is working with the International Organization for Migration to facilitate the eventual transfer of the deportees to their home countries.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the deportation, with spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin describing the deportees in highly charged terms. “This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” she posted on social media, adding that the deportees had been convicted of serious crimes such as murder and child rape.
Critics, however, argue that the Trump administration is bypassing legal protections and due process in its effort to expedite removals. Human rights advocates warn that deporting individuals to countries like Eswatini — an absolute monarchy led by King Mswati III, which has been accused of crushing dissent — exposes them to potential abuse and mistreatment.
In 2021, security forces in Eswatini allegedly killed dozens of protesters during pro-democracy demonstrations. Several politicians were later handed lengthy prison terms for inciting violence, a charge opposition leaders said was politically motivated.
Despite its record, the Eswatini government defended the deportation agreement. “The Kingdom of Eswatini and the United States of America have enjoyed fruitful bilateral relations spanning over five decades,” the statement said. “Every agreement entered into is done with meticulous care and consideration, putting the interests of both nations at the forefront.”
Wednesday’s flight to Eswatini is part of a growing trend in which deportees are sent to third-party countries outside their national origin. In March, the Trump administration deported roughly 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they were incarcerated in a maximum-security prison under conditions rights groups described as akin to torture. In May, a similar flight was attempted to Libya but was blocked at the last moment by a federal court.
That same month, eight immigrants were flown from the United States to South Sudan, a nation the U.S. State Department has flagged for human rights violations including extrajudicial killings and torture. A federal court in Massachusetts halted that flight, citing insufficient opportunity for the deportees to contest their removal. But the U.S. Supreme Court later reversed that decision in a brief order, allowing the deportations to proceed.
In a scathing 19-page dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor condemned the administration’s approach. “The Government has made clear in word and deed that it feels itself unconstrained by law, free to deport anyone anywhere without notice or an opportunity to be heard,” she wrote.
A recently leaked memo obtained by The Washington Post indicates that the administration has acknowledged that third-country deportations may occur even without credible assurances that individuals will be protected from torture or persecution. According to the document, removals can be carried out with as little as six hours’ notice under “exigent circumstances.”
Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has expanded mass deportation efforts and intensified policies targeting undocumented immigrants, including controversial agreements with countries like El Salvador, South Sudan, and now Eswatini. Human rights groups say these moves signal a shift away from international norms and toward a deportation regime that sidesteps legal scrutiny.
While the administration maintains that its actions are necessary for national security and immigration enforcement, opponents argue that the policy exposes vulnerable individuals to potentially grave dangers — all while circumventing the very legal systems designed to protect them.
