U.S. Expands Deportation Program Sending Five Convicted Criminals to Eswatini

The United States has expanded its third-country deportation program by sending five men to the small African nation of Eswatini. These individuals, citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, were described as convicted criminals and "individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back" by Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. This move follows the Supreme Court's lifting of restrictions on sending people to countries where they have no ties, allowing the U.S. to deport individuals to nations with which they have no prior connections.

Eswatini, with a population of approximately 1.2 million, is situated between South Africa and Mozambique. It is one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies, ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. Political parties are effectively banned, and pro-democracy groups have long criticized the king for suppressing political dissent, sometimes through violent means. The U.S. has previously deported eight men to another African nation, South Sudan, under similar circumstances. The Trump administration has been actively seeking more deals with African nations to accept deportees from the U.S., although some countries, such as Nigeria, have pushed back against this pressure.

The deportation of these five men to Eswatini raises several questions about the treatment and future of these individuals in a country with which they have no ties. There has been no immediate comment from Eswatini authorities regarding any deal to accept third-country deportees or what will happen to them in that country. This lack of information adds to the uncertainty surrounding the fate of these deportees, who have been labeled as uniquely barbaric by their home countries and the U.S. government.

The U.S. has also sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama as part of its broader deportation efforts. These actions reflect the Trump administration's aggressive stance on immigration and its willingness to use third-country deportations as a means of removing individuals deemed undesirable by the U.S. government. The deportation of these five men to Eswatini is a clear example of this policy in action, and it remains to be seen how other nations will respond to similar requests in the future.