Eswatini accepts fourth batch of US third-country deportees under secret deal

Mbabane,UPDATED: Jul 9, 2026 19:14 IST

Eswatini has accepted a fourth group of people deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement to host third-country nationals, with 11 people arriving this week, the government said on Thursday. The southern African kingdom said the group, mostly from African countries, would stay there temporarily while their rights were protected.

Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said measures were in place to protect Eswatini's security and that of its residents while the deportees remain in the country. She said, "The government reaffirms that, during their temporary stay in the Kingdom, the fundamental rights of the third-country nationals will be respected and protected in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Kingdom's international obligations."

Under a series of often secret agreements that form part of a wider US immigration crackdown, the administration of US President Donald Trump has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say. Eswatini began accepting third-country nationals deported from the United States in 2025 under an agreement to host people who cannot be returned directly to their countries of origin, and the latest arrivals are the fourth group received under the deal.

The latest arrivals are expected to be housed at Matsapha Maximum Security Prison, according to officials familiar with the arrangement. Eswatini, which has a population of about 1.2 million and borders South Africa, has not disclosed the terms of its agreement with Washington or given details about the deportees' nationalities, legal status, or how long they are expected to remain in the country.

The Trump administration has also sent third-country deportees to the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Congo, among others in Africa, as it looks for destinations for migrants who cannot be repatriated directly. Under the third-country deportation programme, Eswatini has received multiple batches of US deportees, making it one of the most prominent participants in Africa.

The arrangement has drawn criticism from human rights groups over what they say is a lack of transparency and parliamentary oversight. Civic groups in Eswatini have also gone to court to challenge the legality of holding foreign nationals in prison without charge. Eswatini has said the men would be repatriated but could be held there for up to a year.

Human rights lawyer Mzwandile Masuku said the continued transfers reflected weak institutional accountability and warned that the practice risked becoming normalised internationally. So far, only two deportees previously sent to Eswatini have left the country, returning to Cambodia and Jamaica.

The Eswatini government has defended the agreement, saying it reflects the country's humanitarian values while respecting its sovereignty and national laws. With 11 more people now received, Eswatini remains a key destination in the US programme to send deportees to third countries.

With PTI Inputs

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