Eswatini says it has sent home 10 of the 31 people the US deported to it
The government denies reports that deportees were slipped across the border at night, but will not say which countries they travelled through. Twenty-one are still waiting.
Mbabane — Eswatini has repatriated 10 of the 31 people deported to it by the United States since last year, its government has said, rejecting reports that some were quietly released across the border, Daily Maverick reports.
The acting government spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, said the 10 were returned to their countries of origin between September 2025 and October 2026 "in an orderly, safe and dignified manner". They went to Jamaica, Cambodia, Mauritania, Somalia, Cameroon, Yemen, Belize and Laos, and two to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Twenty-one remain in Eswatini.
The route home
The government would not say which countries the deportees passed through. "We are deliberately not mentioning the countries of transit. We will still need them for future repatriations," Mdluli said.
The online publication Swaziland News had reported that deportees were being released at night through informal crossings. The head of South Africa's Border Management Authority, Dr Michael Masiapato, dismissed that, saying land ports of entry with Eswatini "are secured". South Africa's foreign ministry has nonetheless said it is "deeply concerned" about the profiles of the deportees.
Who pays, and who objects
Eswatini confirms that the United States covers the cost of the deportees' welfare and repatriation, but denies that the arrangement is "a transaction". A US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said the first five deportees had convictions for crimes including murder and child rape.
Civil society groups have challenged the agreement in the High Court, arguing that it bypassed democratic safeguards. Amnesty International says it has documented arbitrary detention and restricted access to lawyers, and has called for the policy to end.
This report is based on reporting by Daily Maverick.
