Omanghana
Eswatini has received two additional third-country nationals deported from the United States, renewing public and legal concerns over a controversial bilateral migration agreement worth $5.1 million.
The two men, whose identities and nationalities were not disclosed, are reportedly from Latin America. Their arrival brings the number of deportees accepted by Eswatini since July 2025 to 32.
Eswatini Agrees to Receive Up to 160 Deportees
Under the agreement, Eswatini may receive as many as 160 non-Eswatini nationals removed from the United States. The $5.1 million supplied by Washington is officially intended to strengthen the kingdom’s border and migration-management capacity.
The program covers people whom US authorities have been unable to deport directly to their countries of origin. Previous groups have included nationals of Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen, Cuba and Cambodia.
Eswatini’s government has maintained that the arrangement is temporary and that efforts will eventually be made to repatriate the deportees to their home countries.
Detention Raises Human Rights Concerns
Human rights organizations and lawyers have questioned why some deportees are being held in correctional facilities after completing their criminal sentences in the United States.
Several were reportedly detained at the Matsapha Correctional Complex, with campaigners raising concerns about prolonged confinement, limited access to lawyers and conditions within Eswatini’s overcrowded prison system.
Critics argue that deportees should not be imprisoned indefinitely simply because arrangements for their eventual repatriation have not been completed.
Court Challenge Dismissed on Technical Grounds
The Eswatini Litigation Centre, the Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly and representatives associated with the Southern Africa Litigation Centre challenged the agreement in the High Court.
They argued that the executive bypassed Parliament, failed to consult the public and violated Section 238 of Eswatini’s Constitution, which addresses parliamentary approval of international agreements.
In February 2026, however, the High Court dismissed the case primarily on the grounds that the applicants lacked legal standing. The court did not conclusively settle the wider constitutional questions surrounding parliamentary ratification, transparency and the rights of deportees, according to the Southern Africa Litigation Centre.
A subsequent Supreme Court ruling upheld lawyers’ right to access the detainees, offering limited relief without resolving the broader dispute over the agreement.
Secrecy Fuels Public Opposition
Civil society organizations have also criticized the limited disclosure surrounding the pact, including the selection of deportees, detention arrangements and use of the American funding.
Opponents contend that accepting third-country nationals in exchange for financial assistance risks turning Eswatini into an external enforcement center for US immigration policy. They have continued to demand parliamentary scrutiny, public accountability and due-process protections for everyone transferred under the program.
Source: Omanghana
