The United States deported five migrants from Asian and Caribbean countries to the small African kingdom of Eswatini, South Africa’s neighbouring country, officials said Tuesday.
The deported migrants are nationals of Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen.
“These criminal illegal aliens are so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
They were convicted of violent crimes such as child rape and murder, according to DHS.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has defended so-called third-country deportations as necessary since the home nations of some of those targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them.
The US Supreme Court in June paved the way for the Trump administration to resume deportations of undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own.
List of deportees to Eswatini from US
Cuban national
- Convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated battery.
- Convicted of aggravated battery of a police officer, grand theft-vehicle, aggravated flight-eluding law enforcement reckless driving; sentenced to three years confinement.
- Confirmed Latin King street gang member.
Jamaican national
- Convicted of murder; sentenced to 25 years confinement.
- Convicted of robbery; sentenced to six years confinement.
- Convicted of possession of weapon; sentenced to six months confinement.
Citizen of Laos
- Convicted of second-degree murder and burglary (forced entry); sentenced to 20 years confinement.
- Convicted of operating a motor vehicle under influence of controlled substance.
- Charged with aggravated assault with deadly weapon and possession of methamphetamine.
Vietnamese national
Convicted of child rape – sentenced to 20 years confinement.
Yemeni citizen
- Convicted of second-degree homicide;
- Convicted of assault and battery;
- Convicted of resist and obstruct officer; sentenced to 17 days confinement.
- Convicted of cruelty to dependent adult;
- Convicted of assault with the intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation; sentenced to 60 months confinement.
Washington deported eight other migrants to conflict-plagued South Sudan earlier this month.
US authorities have said that the eight men – two from Cuba, two from Myanmar, and one each from Vietnam, Laos, Mexico and South Sudan – are convicted violent criminals.
Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, has been led by King Mswati III since 1986.
The 57-year-old ruler has been criticised for his lavish lifestyle and has faced accusations of human rights violations.
His country, formerly known as Swaziland, is landlocked by neighbours South Africa and Mozambique.
Trump campaigned for president last year promising to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the United States.
Since returning to the White House in January, he has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up such deportations.
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© Agence France-Presse. Additional reporting by Neo Thale
