The United States has deported five men, citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, and Yemen, to the small African nation of Eswatini. Eight men had previously been deported by the United States to another African country, South Sudan.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader expansion of its third-country deportation program targeting African nations. Homeland Security Assistant Tricia McLaughlin, described the deportees as convicted criminals and barbaric individuals rejected by their own country.
According to reports, the deportation follows the Supreme Court’s decision to lift restrictions on sending individuals to countries they have a connection. Additionally, hundreds of Venezuelans, among others, have been sent to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama.
The U.S. administration had earlier announced its plan to negotiate more agreements with African countries to accept U.S deportees. However, some countries have rejected this, including Nigeria, which rejected Venezuelan deportees sent by the United States.
Speaking on Channels TV, Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, rejected the mounting pressure from the U.S to send deportees to Nigeria. Tuggar disclosed that Nigeria, with over 230 million citizens, is facing and dealing with its internal problems and challenges.
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He emphasized his stance by quoting an American rap line from Flavor Fav: “ I can’t do nothing for you, man”. Additionally, he revealed that some Venezuelan deportees are convicted criminals who have no ties to the West African country.
U.S. Seeks African Partners for Migrant Deportation
According to reports, the United States has approached 5 West African countries with formal requests to take migrants who are unappreciated. Meanwhile, Eswatini has yet to comment on any agreements to accommodate third-country deportees in their nation.
Eswatini, with a population of about 1.2 million, is situated between South Africa and Mozambique. The country, formerly Swaziland, is one of the world’s last absolute monarchies and the only remaining one in Africa.
King Mswati III, who has ruled since 1986, is known for banning political parties and suppressing opposition in Eswatini.
