Two Latin American migrants deported from the United States have arrived in Eswatini as part of a controversial third-country deportation agreement. According to authorities in the southern African kingdom, the arrival marks the fifth batch of deportees shipped to the landlocked nation since July 2025.
Arrival of Latin American Deportees in Eswatini
Two third-party nationals from Latin America arrived in Eswatini, authorities in the southern African country confirmed in a government statement released late Thursday. The individuals landed following consultations and agreements between the United States and Eswatini. The pair represents the fifth batch of deportees shipped from the U.S. to the landlocked African kingdom since the initial group arrived in July 2025.
The Eswatini government did not identify the two most recent arrivals, disclose their specific nationalities, or state how long they will remain in the country. The transfers form part of a broader U.S. immigration enforcement push that relies on bilateral arrangements with nations outside the deportees’ home countries.
Scope of U.S. Third-Country Deportation Deals Across Africa
Advocates note that the Trump administration has deported thousands of individuals to two dozen countries that are not their own under a series of often-secret agreements. Immigration lawyers argue that the practice functions as a legal loophole, indirectly returning asylum seekers to regions they fled.
An estimated 11 of those agreements are established with African nations. The affected countries include Rwanda, Ghana, Cameroon, Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic. Liberia has also emerged as a central hub in the expanding deportation plan, agreeing to take up to 1,200 migrants—one of the largest allocations to date—and welcoming its first group this month.
Human Rights Scrutiny and Repressive Government Concerns
The choice of African nations for these deportation pacts has drawn intense scrutiny. Human rights monitors point out that many of the partner countries—including Eswatini, South Sudan, and Equatorial Guinea—possess notoriously repressive governments and poor human rights records.
Eswatini’s King Mswati III has faced long-standing accusations of suppressing pro-democracy movements, sometimes using violence. Domestically, pro-democracy and civil rights organizations have strongly opposed Eswatini’s confidential agreement with the U.S., organizing cross-border protests, filing lawsuits, and mounting public opposition.
Prior Repatriations and Rejections Among Earlier Arrivals
Previous batches of deportees have experienced varied outcomes since the program began in mid-2025. Some earlier arrivals have successfully returned to their home countries. For example, a Jamaican man was repatriated to his home country in September, while a Cambodian man was released in March for repatriation after spending five months detained in a maximum-security prison.
Complications have also arisen regarding voluntary returns. In July of this year, the Jamaican government reported that two of its three citizens deported to Eswatini formally declined offers to be repatriated to the Caribbean nation.
