US Sends Fourth Group of African Migrants to Eswatini Under Deportation Deal

The United States has deported four more African migrants to the small kingdom of Eswatini as part of controversial third-country agreements. This marks the third shipment of deportees sent to the African nation since July, bringing the total to at least 19 people.

Officials in Eswatini confirmed Thursday that four additional African migrants have been deported to their country by the United States.

The deportees represent the third shipment of migrants that the Trump administration has transferred to the small African kingdom. These individuals are among more than 40 people who have been sent to various African countries through largely confidential agreements with at least seven nations, drawing criticism from human rights organizations.

The Trump administration has established similar third-country deportation arrangements with Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and South Sudan.

According to a government statement, the most recent arrivals to the landlocked nation of Eswatini consisted of one person from Tanzania, one from Sudan, and two from Somalia, all of whom will eventually be returned to their home countries. Officials did not release their identities or specify their current location.

Beginning last July, the United States has transferred at least 19 individuals across three separate groups to Eswatini as part of its strict immigration enforcement policies. U.S. officials described the initial five-person group sent in July as convicted criminals subject to deportation orders. One Jamaican citizen from that original group was successfully returned to Jamaica in September.

Eswatini’s government announced Thursday that another foreign national has obtained the necessary travel documentation and “will be departing the country shortly.” Officials added that negotiations with other home countries continue for the remaining individuals.

Following the arrival of this latest group, Eswatini’s government stated it “reiterates its commitment to ensuring that the rights and dignity of the third-country nationals are upheld while they remain in the country.”

The deportation program involving Eswatini, a small monarchy adjacent to South Africa where the king maintains absolute authority and faces accusations of suppressing democratic movements, has generated opposition from local civil society organizations.

According to a report published last month by Democratic staff members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Trump administration has allocated at least $40 million to deport approximately 300 migrants to nations other than their countries of origin across Africa, Central America and other regions.