U.S. deports detainees to African nations despite human rights concerns

Department of Research, Studies and International News 15-07-2025

The United States government, under the renewed administration of Donald Trump, has intensified its controversial practice of deporting foreign nationals to third-party countries, often nations with poor human rights records, as part of its aggressive anti-immigration agenda. The most recent case involves the deportation of five individuals to the Kingdom of Eswatini, a small landlocked country in Southern Africa.
On Wednesday, Eswatini’s government officially confirmed the arrival of the deportees. In a public statement, spokesperson Thabile Mdluli described the deportation as the result of “months of robust high-level engagements” with U.S. officials. The five individuals have reportedly been placed in isolated detention units within the country’s correctional system, though their names and full identities remain undisclosed.
Mdluli acknowledged, albeit cautiously, that the deportees are not nationals of Eswatini. She emphasized the government’s intention to respect human rights and uphold international legal standards, noting that Eswatini would coordinate with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to facilitate their onward repatriation to their countries of origin.
Despite such assurances, the deportation to Eswatini is part of a broader trend that reflects the increasingly authoritarian and unilateral nature of U.S. immigration policy. Trump’s administration has pursued mass deportations, not only to the individuals’ native countries but to nations with no direct ties to them. The justification, according to U.S. officials, is that certain home countries refuse to accept the return of their citizens. Yet critics argue this policy is a cynical workaround that disregards basic human rights protections.
The United States Department of Homeland Security claimed that those deported to Eswatini were from countries including Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, and Yemen. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin openly labeled the deportees “barbaric” and accused them of committing grave crimes, language that reflects the inflammatory rhetoric frequently used by Trump and his allies to conflate immigration with criminality.
Such narratives are not only misleading, given that studies repeatedly show undocumented immigrants in the U.S. commit fewer crimes than native-born citizens, but they also function to justify sweeping policies that bypass due process. Human rights organizations and legal experts have warned that many deportees have little to no opportunity to contest their removal, and are often sent to nations where they may face torture, inhumane treatment, or even death.
Earlier in the year, the Trump administration deported Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador, where they were detained in the notorious CECOT prison, a facility likened to a torture chamber by rights monitors. According to reports, the U.S. government paid millions of dollars to ensure their incarceration under brutal conditions.
In another troubling example, the administration attempted to deport immigrants to Libya, a country plagued by civil conflict and lawlessness. A U.S. federal court intervened to block the deportation, citing lack of credible assurances regarding the individuals’ safety. Even so, the flight was nearly executed before being halted on the runway.
Similarly, a group of eight men was slated for deportation to South Sudan, a nation the U.S. itself acknowledges is rife with extrajudicial killings and dire prison conditions. A federal court again intervened, ordering a diversion of the flight to Djibouti. However, on June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that order, allowing the deportations to proceed, a move condemned by the Court’s minority justices as a grave misuse of power.
In the case of Eswatini, concerns are compounded by the country’s political structure. Ruled by King Mswati III, Eswatini is considered Africa’s last absolute monarchy. The government has been accused of silencing opposition through intimidation and violence. During 2021 pro-democracy protests, security forces were accused of killing dozens of demonstrators, while political dissenters were imprisoned under dubious charges.
Despite this, Eswatini officials insisted their partnership with the U.S. remains “mutually beneficial” and based on “meticulous care and consideration.” Yet, internal U.S. documents suggest otherwise. A memo obtained by The Washington Post revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is permitted to carry out such deportations with only six hours’ notice, even in the absence of guarantees against torture.
This stark approach, prioritizing political optics and punitive deterrence over international norms, demonstrates the U.S. administration’s disregard for the global consensus on human dignity and asylum protections. Meanwhile, countries like Eswatini are caught between diplomatic pressure and the realities of authoritarian rule, forced to navigate a dangerous balancing act.
As Washington continues to offload its immigration enforcement to vulnerable nations, the human cost of these decisions, borne by individuals trapped between borders, legal limbo, and human rights violations, remains a stark indictment of the West’s selective commitment to justice and rule of law.