U.S. Continues Sending Deportees to Eswatini Under Controversial Deal
MBABANE, Eswatini (AP) — Four more men have been deported to Eswatini from the United States, arriving March 11 and currently detained at the Matsapha Correctional Complex, a maximum-security prison near Manzini. The deportees include two Somali nationals, one Tanzanian, and one Sudanese national, according to Amnesty International.
The arrivals mark the latest chapter in a growing controversy surrounding a deal between the U.S. and Eswatini, formalized in a May 2025 Memorandum of Understanding. Under the agreement, Eswatini agreed to accept up to 160 third-country nationals deported from the U.S. in exchange for $5.1 million to bolster its border and migration management capabilities.
This practice has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations, who argue it constitutes unlawful detention and raises serious concerns about due process. Amnesty International reports the men arrived on a flight originating from Phoenix, Arizona.
“This latest unlawful transfer makes clear that the United States is continuing to send people to Eswatini under a secretive third-country removal arrangement, and that Eswatini is continuing to hold them in unlawful detention without transparency or adequate legal safeguards,” said Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
The arrangement began in July 2025 with the deportation of five individuals, followed by another ten in October. None of those deported have known ties to Eswatini, a country where human rights are reportedly restricted under its absolute monarchy.
Three men previously deported to Eswatini have filed a complaint with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, alleging unlawful prolonged detention.
Chikwanda emphasized the need for transparency, stating, “The authorities in Eswatini must immediately disclose the legal basis for these detentions, guarantee regular and confidential access to lawyers and families, and guarantee due process to ensure that no one is held arbitrarily.”
Amnesty International is calling on both Eswatini and the United States to end the practice, arguing it risks unlawful detention, refoulement, and other human rights violations.
The agreement and subsequent deportations raise questions about international obligations regarding asylum and the treatment of individuals facing removal from the U.S. The Guardian reported on the growing concerns surrounding the deal earlier this month.
Source: Amnesty International (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/eswatini-arrival-of-four-more-men-under-us-unlawful-removal-deal/) and The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/12/trump-immigration-deportations-eswatini).
