The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that a deportation flight carrying individuals convicted of serious crimes has landed in Eswatini, marking the first use of the African nation under a controversial third-country deportation policy recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“A safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed — This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement released late Tuesday.
The deportation, executed under a policy that allows the U.S. government to remove migrants to countries other than their country of origin, follows the Supreme Court’s decision in late June that lifted previous restrictions on such transfers.
The ruling enables authorities to relocate individuals without first allowing them to argue that they face persecution or harm in the receiving country.
According to McLaughlin, the deportees on board the flight included nationals from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, and Yemen. She said they were convicted of grave offenses including child rape and murder, and were rejected by their own governments during previous repatriation efforts.
Though Eswatini was not previously listed as a formal U.S. partner in third-country agreements, the move signals a shift in Washington’s deportation strategy, particularly in light of increasing resistance from some nations to accept returning nationals convicted of crimes abroad.
The announcement has sparked immediate concern among human rights groups and immigration advocates, who warn that sending high-risk individuals to third countries with limited capacity to monitor or rehabilitate such offenders could have serious social and security implications.
As of Wednesday morning, Eswatini’s government had not issued a public statement regarding the arrival of the flight or the individuals onboard.
The development places the small Southern African kingdom in the spotlight as debate intensifies globally over the ethics and legality of extraterritorial deportation practices.
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