The United States has officially deported five individuals it categorized as "criminal illegal aliens" to Eswatini, a kingdom located in southern Africa. According to Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security, these men, who hail from various countries including Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, and Yemen, have been convicted of grievous crimes such as child rape and murder.
McLaughlin highlighted the severity of their actions, describing them as "barbaric" and indicating that their home nations had refused to accept them back. In a post on X, she stated, "This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back," confirming their removal from American territory.
This recent flight follows the US's continued effort to deport individuals who have committed serious offenses abroad. Earlier this month, a separate group of deportees was sent to South Sudan after a court permitted the transfer of migrants to nations without ties to them.
In a series of posts, McLaughlin outlined the horrendous crimes of the deportees, referring to them as "depraved monsters". She announced that a safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini had successfully landed. Eswatini, previously known as Swaziland, has yet to comment on the deportation but had been previously identified in media outlets as a potential destination for such flights.
The situation raises complex questions regarding the responsibilities of nations like Eswatini in accepting deported individuals from the US. The country remains an absolute monarchy under King Mswati III, who has ruled since 1986.
The latest developments come at a time when the US Supreme Court has cleared the way for the administration to resume deportations to countries that are not those of the migrants, with nations like Rwanda showing interest in hosting deportees as well. This reflects the Trump administration's commitment to a stringent immigration policy, which includes the contentious practice of large-scale deportations, a popular point among his supporters.
While Eswatini has welcomed this flight, other countries, such as Nigeria, have expressed resistance to accepting deportees, voicing concerns over their own national issues. The repercussions of US immigration policy continue to reverberate across the globe as discussions arise about the ethics and implications of accepting deportees internationally.
