Five immigrants deported from the United States under a controversial Donald Trump administration’s third-country policy are currently being held in solitary confinement in Eswatini, according to government officials in the southern African nation.
Thabile Mdluli, a spokesperson for the Eswatini government, confirmed the men are in custody but declined to name the specific prisons, citing security concerns. “They were being held in solitary confinement away from other inmates,” she told The Associated Press.
The detainees, citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, were previously imprisoned in the U.S. for serious offenses, including murder and child rape. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described them as “uniquely barbaric” and said they had been in the U.S. illegally before being deported.
Eswatini intends to repatriate the men to their home countries, Mdluli said, although she acknowledged there is currently no clear timeline. “We are not yet in a position to determine the timelines for the repatriation,” she wrote, adding that the process would involve coordination with a United Nations agency.
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However, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the U.N.’s migration arm, stated that it had not yet been approached for assistance but would be willing to help “in line with its humanitarian mandate.”
The arrival of the men in Eswatini followed the resumption of a Trump administration plan to send deportees to third countries with which they have no ties, after a temporary legal suspension in the U.S. The move reflects the U.S. government’s increasing use of nations like Eswatini and South Sudan as holding grounds for individuals whose home countries refuse to take them back.
DHS announced their deportations on Tuesday, noting the five men were flown to Eswatini aboard a deportation plane. Local reports indicated they were initially held at Matsapha Correctional Complex, the country’s top maximum-security prison located near Mbabane, the administrative capital. Whether all the men remain there is unclear.
While the U.S. asserts the men were sent to Eswatini because their native countries declined to accept them, Eswatini’s government has labeled them “in transit,” stressing they will eventually be returned to their nations of origin.
The U.S. has previously deported others under the same program to countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, and earlier this month, to South Sudan. Those deported to South Sudan, originally from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam, and South Sudan, were reportedly detained in a shipping container at a U.S. military base in Djibouti until the Supreme Court allowed their removal.
The terms of Eswatini’s agreement with the United States remain undisclosed. Mdluli said, “The terms of the agreement between the U.S. and Eswatini remain classified.” The arrangement reportedly followed months of bilateral negotiations. Similarly, South Sudan has provided no public details on why it agreed to take deportees or where the eight men sent there are being held.
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Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at DHS, welcomed the removals, stating the administration was satisfied the men were “off of American soil.”
Questions remain over whether the men currently in Eswatini have legal representation or access to legal resources.
Critics argue the choice of destination countries reflects political motivations. Both South Sudan and Eswatini have faced widespread condemnation for authoritarian rule and human rights violations. Eswatini, in particular, is Africa’s only absolute monarchy, where the king rules by decree, political parties are banned, and dissent is frequently crushed.
Rights organizations have long raised alarms over prison conditions in Eswatini, especially at Matsapha Correctional Complex, which has been used to detain pro-democracy activists. Since protests erupted in 2021, security forces have been accused of violent crackdowns and systemic abuse of detainees.
Analysts suggest some African governments may be incentivized to accept U.S. deportees in exchange for diplomatic or economic favor, as the Trump administration has linked foreign aid and trade agreements to immigration cooperation. Meanwhile, the government continues to seek additional deportation deals with other nations.
READ ALSO: U.S. sends eight men to South Sudan after court clash over deportations
