More US deportees to be sent to South Africa’s neighbour

South Africa’s neighbour, the Kingdom of Eswatini, announced that it will receive 11 more third-country nationals deported from the United States (US) this month.

This follows its acceptance of a first group of five deportees in July, having partnered with the US on this programme since President Donald Trump came back to the White House.

The Eswatini government said that it will work with countries of origin for them to “facilitate their reintegration with their families and countries of origin.”

“The individuals will be kept in a secured area separate from the public, while arrangements are made for their return to their countries of origin,” said Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli.

She said that two others are expected to be repatriated soon, following the repatriation of one Jamaican national on 21 September 2025.

When the South African government became aware of the first group of third-country nationals being deported to Eswatini, it expressed concern about the potential adverse impact on national security and immigration policy.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) acknowledged the Eswatini-USA joint statement on collaborating to transit inmates to their home countries.

However, Dirco also “noted that the countries of origin of these deportees are unlikely to receive them”.

“Whilst respecting the sovereign decision of the Government of Eswatini… South Africa is deeply concerned,” said Dirco.

This includes concerns “about the profile of these individuals and the potential adverse impact on South Africa’s national security and immigration policy, given the geographical proximity between the two sisterly countries.”

After the first group was deported, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson from the US Department of Homeland Security, identified the individuals as citizens of Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, and Yemen.

McLaughlin asserted on social media in August that “a safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed. This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back”.

She further stated that these deportees had been convicted of serious crimes, including murder, child rape, and assault, referring to them as “depraved monsters” who had “been terrorising American communities”.

This time around, the Eswatini government said that “the public is assured that the immigrants pose no security threat to either the Nation or neighbouring countries.”

Trump’s deportation push

The deportations are part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to deport foreign nationals to third-party countries when their home countries reportedly will not accept them.

The Trump administration has deported alleged criminals to third-party countries with troubling human rights records, including El Salvador, South Sudan, and Eswatini.

In one case, about 200 Venezuelans were sent to El Salvador, where they were imprisoned in harsh conditions, with the US reportedly paying nearly $6 million for their incarceration.

Deportation plans to Libya were halted by a court order, while a flight to South Sudan was diverted to Djibouti before the Supreme Court later allowed the deportation to proceed.

Critics, including some left-leaning US Supreme Court justices, condemned the moves as unlawful and inhumane.

Similar concerns have been raised about deportations to Eswatini, an absolute monarchy accused of violently suppressing dissent.

Eswatini has defended its decision to accept the deportees, citing long-standing bilateral relations with the United States.

“The Kingdom of Eswatini and the United States of America have enjoyed fruitful bilateral relations spanning over five decades,” the Eswatini government stated.

They added that “as such, every agreement entered into is done with meticulous care and consideration, putting the interests of both nations at the forefront.”

Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri previously told Newsday that the US has had no engagements with South Africa to take in deportees.

“The South African government will continue to engage with the Kingdom of Eswatini,” he added.