Overview

• Eswatini confirmed that 10 people deported by the United States arrived early Monday and are being held in secured correctional facilities, after officials had said they expected 11 arrivals in October.
• This is the second transfer to the kingdom following five deportees in July; one of those men was repatriated to Jamaica on September 21 and authorities say additional returns are being arranged.
• Documents cited by Human Rights Watch and reporters show Eswatini agreed to accept up to 160 deportees for about $5.1 million under a U.S. pact whose detailed terms remain undisclosed.
• U.S. officials assert the program removes convicted noncitizens under final orders, while attorneys and foreign governments counter that some home countries were willing to take their citizens and that required procedures were sidestepped.
• Local NGOs and lawyers in Eswatini report blocked access to clients and are contesting the deal in court after an access ruling was immediately appealed, as similar concerns surface around transfers to South Sudan, Rwanda and Ghana.