Eswatini receives 11 people deported from the US as part of migration crackdown

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MBABANE, Eswatini (AP) — The southern African kingdom of Eswatini has accepted a fourth group of people deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement to host third-country nationals, with 11 people arriving this week, the government said Thursday.

Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the group, predominantly from African countries, would remain in the kingdom temporarily while their rights were protected.

“The government reaffirms that, during their temporary stay in the Kingdom, the fundamental rights of the third-country nationals will be respected and protected in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Kingdom’s international obligations,” Mdluli said in a statement.

Under a series of often-secret agreements that are part of a broad U.S. crackdown on immigration, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say.

Mdluli said measures were in place to safeguard Eswatini's security and that of its residents while the deportees remain in the country.

The latest arrivals are expected to be housed at Matsapha Maximum Security Prison, according to officials familiar with the arrangement.

Eswatini, a country of about 1.2 million people bordering South Africa, began accepting third-country nationals deported from the United States in 2025 under an agreement to host people who cannot be returned directly to their countries of origin. The latest arrivals are the fourth group received under the deal.

The Trump administration has also sent third-country deportees to the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Congo, among others on the continent, as it seeks destinations for migrants who cannot be repatriated directly.

The Eswatini government has not disclosed the terms of its agreement with Washington or released details about the deportees’ nationalities, legal status or how long they are expected to remain in the country.

Under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation program, Eswatini has received multiple batches of U.S. deportees, making it one of the most prominent participants in Africa.

The arrangement has drawn criticism from human rights groups over a lack of transparency and parliamentary oversight. Civic groups in Eswatini have also taken authorities to court to challenge the legality of holding foreign nationals in prison without charge. Eswatini said that the men would be repatriated but could be held there for up to a year.

Human rights lawyer Mzwandile Masuku said the continued transfers reflected weak institutional accountability and warned the practice risked becoming normalized internationally.

So far, only two deportees previously transferred to Eswatini have left the country, returning to Cambodia and Jamaica.

The Eswatini government has defended the agreement, saying it reflects the country’s humanitarian values while respecting its sovereignty and national laws.

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Associated Press reporter Michelle Gumede in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa