Overview

• On July 16, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the secret transfer of five men to Eswatini, marking the program’s expansion in Africa.
• The deportees, convicted of crimes including murder, child rape and gang membership, were rejected by their home countries in Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos.
• In June, the Supreme Court lifted an injunction on third-country removals, reviving a Trump-era policy to send non-citizens to nations with no migration ties.
• Eswatini’s absolute monarchy under King Mswati III has not revealed the detainees’ location, legal status or the terms of its U.S. agreement, raising transparency and human rights concerns.
• U.S. officials are pursuing similar pacts with other African states, leveraging deportation deals for diplomatic and economic incentives.