Eleven more migrants removed from the United States by the Trump administration have landed in Eswatini, a small southern African nation, according to a U.S. attorney closely following the matter.
The new arrivals push the total number of deportees sent to the country to 29, all under a $5.1 million agreement between the two governments. The arrangement has drawn legal challenges from attorneys who argue that these individuals are being detained even though they had already finished serving their sentences for crimes committed on U.S. soil.
Attorney Alma David, who represents some of the original group of deportees sent to Eswatini last year and maintains contact with sources inside local prisons there, confirmed the latest arrivals to Reuters via text message.
Of the 29 people deported from the United States to Eswatini, only two have been released and sent back to their home countries — one to Jamaica and the other to Cambodia.
The newly arrived detainees have already been transferred to Eswatini’s Matsapha correctional facility, which has a notorious reputation, David said. A spokesperson for the Eswatini government had not responded to a request for comment at the time of reporting.
Eswatini is not the only destination being used under this policy. The Trump administration has also deported migrants to other nations across Africa, Asia, and the Americas as part of its broader third-country deportation strategy.
