In a dramatic policy change, US President Donald Trump deported illegal immigrants to Eswatini, a tiny African country, just days after the Supreme Court removed bans on sending migrants to third-world nations. The move is the latest in Trump’s immigration crackdown, aimed at people whose countries of origin declined to take them back.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the first deportation flight had arrived in Eswatini on Tuesday. The flight included deportees from several countries, some of whom had been convicted of violent offenses such as murder and child rape.
DHS Defends New Deportation Policy
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin had defended the move, writing on social media that, “This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.” She had affirmed that the deportees consisted of citizens from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, and Yemen.
The deportations come after a memo signed by ICE acting director Todd Lyons permitting deportations to third countries with just six hours’ notice under “exigent circumstances” came into effect. The memo, issued on July 9, states that whereas the normal waiting period is 24 hours, officials can reduce this to minutes in cases of emergency, as long as migrants are allowed time to speak to an attorney.
Notably, the memo stresses that deportations may go ahead “without further procedures” if the third country undertakes not to torture or persecute the people involved.
Why Eswatini and Where is it?
Eswatini, previously Swaziland, is a landlocked nation in Southern Africa, sharing borders with South Africa and Mozambique, while it has improved in the areas of education and medicine, it continues to have economic issues and a very high HIV/AIDS prevalence. The nation relies mainly on agriculture, manufacturing, and exportation with nearby countries.
This deportation is the first recorded use of Eswatini as a deportation country for foreign nationals; the Trump administration seems to be using bilateral arrangements with less developed countries to execute removals where sending countries deny repatriation.
Legal and Human Rights Concerns
Although the Trump administration insists that these actions promote public safety, human rights organizations have been alarmed at sending people to countries with weak protective legislation. Critics suggest that deportations short-circuit normal legal protections and endanger vulnerable migrants.
Nevertheless, Trump administration officials maintain the process is in line with international norms and enables the US to address “inadmissible aliens” who are a risk and cannot be sent back home.
