Controversial Deportation Case: Kilmar Ábrego García Faces Potential Removal to Eswatini

Tue Sep 30 2025 09:58:30 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran man embroiled in a complex immigration situation, could be deported to Eswatini amidst concerns of unjust treatment and lack of connections to the country.

Kilmar Ábrego García, a 30-year-old Salvadoran man, is facing the possibility of deportation to Eswatini after a series of contentious decisions made by the U.S. immigration authorities. His case has seen multiple potential destinations, highlighting the complexities and controversies surrounding his immigration status. The U.S. government admitted an error in his earlier deportation to El Salvador and is now considering Eswatini, a country to which he has no ties. This decision raises significant questions about the implications of deporting individuals to countries where they may face persecution.

Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran man at the heart of an intense immigration controversy, has been informed that he could be deported to Eswatini by the U.S. immigration authorities. This decision follows a previous plan to send him to Uganda, which was scrapped after García expressed fears of persecution there.

The U.S. immigration officer's email, reviewed by CBS, indicated that while the claims of potential persecution are 'hard to take seriously,' the government would refrain from sending him to Uganda. This marks at least the fourth country proposed as a possible destination for 30-year-old García, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year and subsequently faced criminal charges upon his return.

U.S. officials admitted the earlier deportation was a mistake. After being returned to the U.S., García was detained and charged with human smuggling, a claim he denies, asserting that he has no affiliation with the notorious MS-13 gang, which the Trump administration asserts he is part of.

His looming deportation to Eswatini—formerly known as Swaziland—has raised eyebrows, particularly since he has no established connection to the nation. Eswatini, governed by King Mswati III, has received mixed responses regarding its handling of deportations from the U.S., which has already sent five individuals it labels as 'criminal illegal aliens' there.

Concerns have emerged about Eswatini becoming a 'dumping ground' for U.S. criminals, especially as the country has not confirmed whether it receives any form of compensation for accepting these deportees. Given that the U.S. is a major trading partner—being the fourth-largest market for Eswatini's sugar exports—it raises questions about whether economic interests are influencing U.S. immigration policy.

García, having entered the U.S. illegally as a teenager from El Salvador, was arrested in 2019 for alleged immigration offenses. His case exemplifies the broader issues within the U.S. immigration system and the challenges faced by individuals caught in its complexities.

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