Eswatini Accepts US Deportees Amid Legal Controversy

Fri Oct 10 2025 14:53:10 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Despite ongoing legal challenges, Eswatini has accepted a new batch of deportees from the United States, raising concerns about the implications for human rights and democracy in the region.

Eswatini has received 10 deportees from the US as part of a controversial agreement amidst legal battles from rights groups questioning the validity of the government's decision. This marks the second batch of deportations under the current US administration, with implications for both local governance and human rights standards.

The US has deported 10 people to Eswatini despite rights groups in the southern African state mounting legal action to block the plan.

This is the second batch of deportees that the Trump administration has sent to Eswatini as part of its hard-line approach towards immigration.

The 10 have been securely accommodated, and posed no threat to the public, Eswatini's prison department said in a statement.

Eswatini accepted five deportees, described by the US government as deprived monsters, in July. One of them has since been repatriated to Jamaica, his country of origin, while another two were expected to be repatriated soon, Eswatini's government says.

In a statement on Sunday, the government said it would take in 11 deportees following an agreement with the US to cooperate in this manner. It did not explain why only 10 had arrived. Their names have not been made public.

Activists have expressed deep concerns over this agreement, seeing it as an example of democratic regression, 20 years after Eswatini adopted a constitution aimed at increasing parliamentary power. The Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC) argues that the government's actions constitute executive over-reach and violated constitutional provisions requiring parliamentary consent.

The deal has also raised alarms in neighboring South Africa, where there are fears that the deportees could cross over due to porous borders. Eswatini's government has assured that the deportees are being held in solitary confinement in a secure facility while arrangements are in place for their return.

Prime Minister Russell Dlamini defended the arrangement as a lawful exercise of executive power, stating that proper protocols were followed despite some parliamentary apprehensions.

The arrival of the deportees coincides with a court case surrounding the deportations currently ongoing in Mbabane, amid protests from civil society groups voicing their dissent against the government's actions.