A fourth group of individuals deported by the United States arrived in Eswatini on July 8, according to an American immigration attorney and local sources. This marks the latest transfer under an unusual arrangement in which the U.S. has sent deportees to the southern African kingdom, despite none of them holding Eswatini citizenship.
The attorney, Alma David, who is familiar with some of the cases, stated that 11 people were deported in this latest group, including at least two individuals who have legal protections that advocates argue should prevent their removal. A local contact, however, said the number was nine. The nationalities of the deportees have not been confirmed but were expected to be clarified once the individuals are formally processed.
Eswatini, Africa’s only remaining absolute monarchy, has previously received 19 deportees from the United States since July 2025. Of those, two—one Jamaican and one Cambodian national—have been repatriated to their countries of origin, while the other 17 remain imprisoned in a high-security facility without formal charges.
A government source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, noted that an official convoy traveled to the main international airport specifically to process the newly arrived deportees. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The repatriations stem from a controversial arrangement between Washington and Eswatini, under which the U.S. reportedly offered multi-million-dollar incentives and threatened visa restrictions to persuade countries to accept deportees. In 2025, Eswatini confirmed it received approximately $5.1 million from the United States to facilitate the detention and processing of these individuals.
Documents reviewed by human rights organizations indicate that Eswatini agreed to accept up to 160 deportees in exchange for funding aimed at enhancing its border and migration management capabilities. Critics have raised concerns over the legality and human rights implications of this “third-country” deportation practice, particularly given the indefinite detention of deportees without charges in Eswatini’s prison system.
The latest arrivals underscore ongoing tensions surrounding the Trump administration’s broad immigration enforcement policies, which have sought to externalize deportations by shifting responsibility to countries with limited resources and oversight mechanisms. The situation in Eswatini continues to draw attention from international rights groups monitoring treatment of deportees and the broader impacts of these agreements.