US says it has sent third country deportees to Eswatini
Last month the Supreme Court cleared the way for President Donald Trump's administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them a chance to show the harms they could face. The decision handed the government a win in its aggressive pursuit of mass deportations.
"A safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed. The flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back," department of homeland security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on Tuesday.
In a thread on social media platform X, McLaughlin named five deportees from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen and said they were convicted of crimes ranging from child rape to murder.
Earlier this month, a top Trump administration official said in a memo immigration officials may deport migrants to countries other than their home nations with as little as six hours' notice.
US immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) will generally wait at least 24-hours to deport someone after informing them of their removal to a third country, according to a memo dated July 9 from the agency's acting director, Todd Lyons.
ICE could remove them, however, to a third country with as little as six hours' notice "in exigent circumstances", the memo said, as long as the person was provided the chance to speak to an attorney.
The memo stated migrants could be sent to nations that have pledged not to persecute or torture them "without the need for further procedures".
The ICE policy suggested the Trump administration could move quickly to send migrants to countries around the world.
Human rights advocates have raised due process and other concerns over Trump's immigration policies that his administration has cast as measures aimed at improving domestic security.
Reuters
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The government has denied the involvement of King Mswati in the deportation of hardened criminals from the U.S. to South Africa's neighbour. Image: Supplied/Eswatini Government U.S. President Donald Trump's administration's decision to send five dangerous hardened criminals to eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) has sparked outrage in the neighbouring country and fears that they may end up in South Africa. The Trump administration announced over a week ago that it would be sending the men who are illegal immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba convicted of child rape, murder, burglary, and being gang members and whose countries refuse to take them back. This week, the eSwatini Women's Movement has raised concerns about whether the five individuals informed of their removal and given access to consular support from their home countries as this is a fundamental right of anyone detained or deported across international borders. It demanded to know who within the eSwatini government authorised the acceptance of these individuals and the legal basis and if they were detained in line with a valid detention warrant or a certificate of detention as prescribed by the Immigration Act. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "If there is no such legal basis, under what authority are they currently being held? Any alternative basis for detention may contravene the Correctional Services Act No. 13 of 2017 and risks undermining the rule of law in eSwatini," the movement said. In addition, it wants to know how much has been paid to the government of eSwatini to support the stay of the five deported individuals and the plan after the conclusion of their sentences. The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), which mobilises exiled emaSwati, has urged the country's citizens at home and in the diaspora to fight what it described as a shameful arrangement. The SSN said emaSwati must organise, mobilise and protest against the decision and make it clear to their government that their country is not for sale nor is it an American prison. According to the network, the U.S. homeland security department has stated that the convicted criminals must be removed so that they can never hurt another American victim, which by implication means they must now hurt emaSwati. "This is a deliberate act of collusion by two corrupt governments to dump America's most violent criminals in one of the world's poorest nations. And the (King) Mswati-led Tinkhundla (eSwatini local government administrative division) regime quietly agreed without consulting the nation or informing its own rubberstamp Parliament," the SSN said. It called on emaSwati to demand answers on whether this is a paid-for deal or a political favour, the terms and conditions. "This is an act of betrayal and is proof once again that the Tinkhundla regime does not prioritise the safety and wellbeing of the Swazi people. It has not only auctioned off national sovereignty but it has turned Swaziland into a dumping ground for foreign governments looking to offload hardened criminals," the network complained. Other organisations – the Swaziland Litigation Centre, the Swaziland Rural Women's Assembly and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre – said in a 2024 report on human rights practices in eSwatini, the U.S. noted that prisons were overcrowded, constituting inhumane treatment and that there were reports of torture. They are demanding that the eSwatini government commit to not accepting inmates from third countries. "The eSwatini Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration and international bodies, as official visitors under section 122 of the Correctional Services Act, visit the individuals to establish the facts surrounding their detention and their detention conditions. "The international bodies should include the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, which is currently conducting an official visit in eSwatini, and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pretoria," the organisations demanded. Additionally, they want the government to clarify the legal and factual basis on which the five individuals were accepted into eSwatini and for their countries' consulates urgently arrange for consular services to ensure that they obtain legal representation. The eSwatini government has denied King Mswati's involvement in the prisoners' deportation while the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa did not respond to questions on Saturday.
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