US sends third-country deportees under secrecy to the small African kingdom of Eswatini

CAPE TOWN South Africa AP The United States sent five men it describes as barbaric criminals to the small African nation of Eswatini in an expansion of the Trump administration s largely secretive third-country deportation venture the U S Department of Homeland Defense noted Tuesday The U S has already deported eight men to another African country South Sudan after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on sending people to countries where they have no ties The South Sudanese establishment has declined to say where those men also described as violent criminals are after it took custody of them nearly two weeks ago In a late-night post on X Homeland Shield Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin disclosed the men sent to Eswatini who are citizens of Vietnam Jamaica Cuba Yemen and Laos had arrived on a plane but didn t say when or where She mentioned they were all convicted criminals and individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back The men have been terrorizing American communities but were now off of American soil McLaughlin added McLaughlin reported they had been convicted of crimes including murder and child rape and one was a authenticated gang member Her social media posts included mug shots of the men and what she declared were their criminal records They were not named Like in South Sudan there was no immediate comment from Eswatini agents over any deal to accept third-country deportees or what would happen to them in that country Civic groups there raised concerns over the secrecy from a regime long accused of clamping down on human rights There has been a notable lack of official communication from the Eswatini governing body regarding any agreement or understanding with the U S to accept these deportees Ingiphile Dlamini a spokesperson for the pro-democracy group SWALIMO disclosed in a comment sent to The Associated Press This opacity makes it demanding for civic society to understand the implications It wasn t clear if they were being held in a detention center what their legal status was or what Eswatini s plans were for the deported men he declared An absolute monarchy Eswatini previously called Swaziland is a country of about million people between South Africa and Mozambique It is one of the world s last remaining absolute monarchies and the last in Africa King Mswati III has ruled by decree since Political parties are effectively banned and pro-democracy groups have declared for years that Mswati III has crushed political dissent sometimes violently Groups like SWALIMO have called for democratic reforms Pro-democracy protests erupted in Eswatini in when dozens were killed allegedly by assurance forces Eswatini leadership have been accused of conducting political assassinations of pro-democracy activists and imprisoning others Because Eswatini is a poor country with a relative lack of support it may face critical strain in accommodating and managing individuals with complex backgrounds particularly those with serious criminal convictions Dlamini disclosed While the U S administration has hailed deportations as a triumph for the safety and safety of the American people Dlamini explained his organization required to know the plans for the five men sent to Eswatini and any possible risks to the local population US is seeking more deals The Trump administration has announced it is seeking more deals with African nations to take deportees from the U S Leaders from particular of the five West African nations who met last week with President Donald Trump at the White House commented the issue of migration and their countries possibly taking deportees from the U S was discussed Chosen nations have pushed back Nigeria which wasn t part of that White House summit noted it has rejected pressure from the U S to take deportees who are citizens of other countries The U S also has sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica El Salvador and Panama but has identified Africa as a continent where it might find more governments willing to strike deportation agreements Rwanda s foreign minister recounted the AP last month that talks were underway with the U S about a anticipated agreement to host deported immigrants A British executive plan publicized in to deport rejected asylum-seekers to Rwanda was ruled illegal by the U K Supreme Court last year Not a dumping ground The eight men deported by the U S to war-torn South Sudan where they arrived early this month previously spent weeks at a U S military base in nearby Djibouti located on the northeast edge of Ethiopia as the scenario over the legality of sending them there played out The South Sudanese leadership has not circulated details of its agreement with the U S to take deportees nor has it mentioned what will happen to the men A prominent civil society leader there stated South Sudan was not a dumping ground for criminals Analysts say chosen African nations might be willing to take third-country deportees in return for more favorable terms from the U S in negotiations over tariffs foreign aid and resources and restrictions on movement visas