Fourth group of deportees from US arrive in Eswatini

Eleven more migrants deported from the United States have arrived in Eswatini as part of President Donald Trump's wide-ranging immigration crackdown.

A US immigration attorney familiar with some of the cases says the group includes at least two who have legal protection that advocates say should shield them from deportation.

It is the latest expulsion in line with the ​Trump administration’s unprecedented “third-country” deal that has already seen 19 people sent to Eswatini since July 2025.

Two of them - a Jamaican and Cambodian - have been repatriated, but 17 remain in a high-security prison, held without charge.

It is not yet clear what are the nationalities of the 11 who arrived in Eswatini on Wednesday.

A government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an official convoy had travelled to the main international airport "to process and receive new US deportees".

The small country, Africa's last absolute monarchy, confirmed last year it had received around $5.1 million from the US to accept the deportees.

King Mswati III’s government has been accused of human rights violations and Amnesty International has called the deportation scheme "deeply abusive".

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.

In his second term, Trump has expanded who is eligible for deportation, targeting those with legal protections.

Under previous administrations this had allowed them to live and work in the US for fear of persecution in their home countries.

Washington has argued that legally it is only barred from sending such people back to their countries directly.

While nations like Eswatini have held most US deportees indefinitely, other nations such as Ghana, have quickly sent them back to their home countries.