US deports convicted criminals to Eswatini amid controversial “third country” policy
The US Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that a deportation flight carrying immigrants convicted of serious crimes including murder, child rape, and assault has landed in Eswatini.
The deportees, originally from Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, Jamaica, and Yemen, were removed following a landmark US Supreme Court ruling that now allows deportations to “third countries” when their home countries refuse repatriation.
Officials say the flight to Eswatini marks the first publicly acknowledged use of this new legal mechanism.
Home countries reportedly declined to accept the deportees due to the severity of their convictions, prompting US authorities to negotiate with Eswatini as a fallback destination.
Human rights organisations have condemned the move, warning that deporting foreign nationals to unfamiliar countries with no cultural, linguistic, or community ties violates international protections.
Legal advocates also argue that denying access to proper asylum hearings or appeal processes breaches basic human rights standards.
Despite the backlash, US officials maintain that deportees are screened to ensure they won’t face persecution or torture in their receiving country, and that “appropriate diplomatic arrangements” were made with Eswatini.
This is how Australia and similar places were established. Unfortunately that model can no longer work. What will result is a nit-picking colonial experiment that will be at once aggressive as it will be insidious. Watch the space.