Trump Deports 5 Migrants to Eswatini After Their Countries Refused to Accept Them

In a controversial move, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced yesterday, Tuesday, that it has deported five undocumented migrants to the Kingdom of Eswatini, the small country located in southern Africa, which is considered the last absolute monarchy on the continent.

The US Department of Homeland Security clarified in a post on the "X" platform that the deportation was done "by air to a third country, which is Eswatini", after the migrants' original countries refused to accept them.

The deported migrants hold nationalities from Vietnam, Laos, Yemen, Cuba, and Jamaica, and authorities described them as "foreign criminal aliens residing illegally" in the United States.

This is not the first time that Washington has carried out deportation operations to "third-party" countries.

On July 4, the United States deported 8 undocumented migrants to South Sudan after a lengthy legal battle that ended with a Supreme Court decision allowing the deportation to proceed.

These new decisions are part of Trump's strict immigration policy, which he made a top priority during his presidency, repeatedly referring to it as an "invasion" of America by "foreign criminals", according to his statements.

However, this policy has faced many legal obstacles, as court rulings have slowed down mass deportation operations, especially in cases where the deportees may be at risk or have the right to seek asylum.

Eswatini, which received the deportees, is governed by absolute monarchy under the leadership of King Mswati III since 1986, and is constantly criticized by human rights organizations for widespread violations, power monopolization, and wealth accumulation.

The decision to deport migrants to this country raises legal and ethical questions, especially given its political and human rights situation, while the Trump administration continues to push forward with its plans to tighten its grip on immigration, even if it requires deporting individuals to countries they do not belong to.