US secretly sends convicted criminals to Eswatini under third-country deportation program
The United States has deported five men described as “barbaric” criminals to the small African kingdom of Eswatini, expanding the Trump administration’s controversial third-country deportation program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Tuesday.
According to DHS, the deportees, citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, were flown to Eswatini under strict secrecy, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The timing and exact arrival location remain undisclosed. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin announced the transfer in a late-night post on X, stating the men were “convicted criminals” whose home countries had refused to take them back.
“These individuals are so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to accept them,” McLaughlin wrote, adding that the men had been convicted of crimes including murder, child rape, and gang-related violence. Mugshots and criminal records were posted online, though names were withheld.
The move follows a recent Supreme Court decision lifting restrictions on deporting individuals to nations where they have no legal or cultural ties. Earlier this month, eight men were sent to South Sudan under the same program.
As in South Sudan, Eswatini authorities have not confirmed any agreement to accept the deportees, raising concerns from civic groups about transparency and human rights.
“There has been a notable lack of official communication from the Eswatini government regarding any deal with the U.S.,” said Ingiphile Dlamini, spokesperson for the pro-democracy group SWALIMO. “This opacity makes it difficult for civic society to understand the implications.”
It remains unclear whether the men are in detention, their legal status in Eswatini, or what the country plans to do with them.
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