Overview

• The Department of Homeland Security on July 16 deported five men with convictions for crimes including murder and child rape to Eswatini under its expanded third-country removal program.
• The migrants, citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen, have no prior ties to Eswatini, which is one of the world’s last absolute monarchies.
• Their transfer follows a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for deportations to countries where migrants are not citizens while litigation continues in lower courts.
• An ICE memo from acting Director Todd M. Lyons instructs officers to begin sending immigrants to third countries with as little as six hours’ notice in exigent circumstances.
• Local pro-democracy groups and human rights advocates have raised concerns over the undisclosed terms of the Eswatini agreement and the risk of refoulement and torture.