- The southern African kingdom of Eswatini accepted a fourth group of 11 individuals deported from the United States this week, predominantly from African countries, under a bilateral agreement to temporarily host third-country nationals.
- The Eswatini government affirmed that the fundamental rights of the migrants would be respected and protected during their temporary stay, with measures in place to safeguard national security, and they are expected to be housed at Matsapha Maximum Security Prison.
- This arrangement is part of a broader U.S. administration crackdown on immigration, where thousands of people have been deported to countries that are not their own, with Eswatini being a prominent participant in Africa under an agreement that began in 2025.
- Human rights groups and civic organizations have criticized the agreement for its lack of transparency and parliamentary oversight, with some challenging the legality of holding foreign nationals in prison without charge, despite Eswatini's defense of the agreement as reflecting humanitarian values.
- The Trump administration has also sent third-country deportees to the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Congo, among others on the continent, as it seeks destinations for migrants who cannot be repatriated directly.
