A second group of Southeast Asian migrants deported from the United States have arrived in Eswatini, marking a new phase in Washington’s controversial third-country deportation initiative.
According to The Associated Press, U.S.-based attorney Tin Thanh Nguyen confirmed that two of his clients—Vietnamese nationals—were among the deportees on board.
The transfer follows a series of secretive bilateral agreements under which the U.S. outsources deportations of non-African migrants to African nations.
The BBC reported that Eswatini’s prison authorities received ten deportees from the flight, assuring the public that all individuals had been “securely accommodated.”
However, local human rights lawyer Mzwandile Masuku expressed outrage over the government’s decision to accept the migrants, despite an ongoing court case challenging the legality of a previous batch of arrivals.
Human Rights Watch revealed that the U.S.-Eswatini deal allows up to 160 deportees in exchange for $5.1 million, intended to enhance Eswatini’s “border and migration management capacity.”
Yet, the Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC) has condemned the agreement as unconstitutional. “We would have expected this milestone to reflect stronger rule of law, greater accountability, and a clearer separation of powers,” said SALC spokesperson Melusi Simelane.
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Four migrants from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen were previously deported to Eswatini in July and remain held in a maximum-security prison. Lawyers allege they have been denied due process, raising further concerns about how the small, landlocked nation will handle more arrivals.
Since July 2025, at least 30 deportees have been flown from the U.S. to African nations, including South Sudan, Rwanda, and Ghana, under similar arrangements.
In South Sudan, six deportees are reportedly being held in undisclosed locations. Rwanda has declined to disclose where its deportees are housed.
Meanwhile, eleven deportees in Ghana are suing the government, alleging they were detained under inhumane conditions at a military facility near Accra.
While Eswatini and Rwanda have signed on to Washington’s deportation program, other African governments have resisted.
Uganda, once considered a potential partner, withdrew after intense domestic backlash.
Nigeria has also rejected any proposal to host non-Nigerian deportees, insisting it will only accept verified citizens.
Ghana’s decision to take in 14 West African deportees earlier this year has, however, produced diplomatic benefits.
The U.S. fully restored Ghana’s non-immigrant visa privileges—extending B1/B2 visas to five years and F1 student visas to four years—though Ghana maintains that no financial incentives were involved, describing the deal as “strategic diplomacy.”
Rights organizations continue to criticize the U.S. deportation initiative, warning that it risks turning African nations into “dumping grounds” for unwanted migrants.
For Eswatini, the recent arrivals test both its governance capacity and international image amid ongoing accusations of human rights violations and political repression.
As additional deportation flights are expected in October, analysts suggest the issue could deepen tensions between Washington and African states reluctant to be seen as partners in what human rights advocates call an “outsourced deportation scheme.”
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