The US has deported five migrants to Eswatini under a third-country program, where they will be held in solitary confinement for an undetermined time. The move marks the continuation of President Donald Trump’s plan to send deportees to countries facing human rights crises.
The migrants, who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, were convicted of serious crimes including murder and child rape. They had entered the US illegally and their home countries would not accept them back.
Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli declined to reveal where the men are being held, citing security concerns. However, she said that Eswatini planned to repatriate the five with the help of a UN agency.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has stated that it is not involved in the removal and has contacted Eswatini to assist in repatriation. The US Department of Homeland Security reported that local media indicated the migrants were being held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex, a maximum-security prison outside Mbabane.
Critics have raised concerns about the move, citing Eswatini’s poor human rights record. The US state department’s report on Eswatini highlighted “credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, torture, and cruel treatment”.
This is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to make deals with countries facing human rights crises to accept immigrants that the US cannot easily deport to their home countries.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/18/migrants-deported-by-the-us-to-eswatini-being-held-in-solitary-confinement