- Five men from different countries were deported to Eswatini by Trump-era protocols
- Their home nations refused to receive them due to alleged extreme crimes
- Eswatini, an absolute monarchy, is questioned as a safe destination
- Deportation sparks backlash from human rights activists
- DHS insists the move was legal and in the interest of U.S. national security
The United States has deported five men, tagged by immigration officials as “criminal illegal aliens,” to Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa, under rarely used third-country deportation rules. The individuals are originally from Vietnam, Laos, Yemen, Cuba, and Jamaica.
According to a Tuesday statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), these men were denied return by their home countries, allegedly because of the extreme nature of their past crimes.
Critics are questioning why the men were sent to Eswatini, a country ruled by King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch. Despite being a small and peaceful nation, Eswatini is often in the spotlight for human rights concerns, economic struggles, and a lavish royal lifestyle that sits in contrast with widespread poverty.
This latest action comes just weeks after eight other migrants were deported to South Sudan, a nation still facing violent conflict. That move followed legal backing from the U.S. Supreme Court, which gave the Trump administration the green light to expand third-country deportations.
Human rights defenders have sharply condemned this strategy, saying it violates international protection laws. They argue that deporting people to nations with political instability or poor legal systems puts them in danger, especially when their own countries won’t take them back.
Despite the uproar, DHS maintains that the deportations were lawful and necessary. Officials say the men posed a threat and had exhausted all options under U.S. immigration law.
“These actions protect American citizens and uphold our responsibility to national security,” a DHS official stated.
