In brief
Eswatini has accepted ten deportees from the US amid ongoing legal challenges from local rights organizations. This marks the second wave of deportations under the Trump administration. The Eswatini government insists that the deportees are securely held and pose no public threat, even as protests and legal actions against such agreements continue.
The US has deported 10 people to Eswatini despite rights groups in the southern African state mounting legal action to block the plan.
This is the second batch of deportees that the Trump administration has sent to Eswatini as part of its hard-line approach towards immigration. The 10 have been 'securely accommodated', and posed no threat to the public, Eswatini's prison department said in a statement.
Eswatini accepted five deportees, described by the US government as 'deprived monsters', in July. One of them has since been repatriated to Jamaica, his country of origin, while another two were expected to be repatriated soon, Eswatini's government says.
In a statement on Sunday, the government said it would take in 11 deportees following an agreement with the US 'to cooperate in this manner'. It did not explain why only 10 had arrived. Their names have not been made public.
The arrival comes a day before a court case against the deportations is set to resume in the main city, Mbabane. The Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC) - along with other civil society groups - argues that the government's decision amounts to 'executive over-reach' and Eswatini's constitution stated that such agreements should be done with parliamentary consent, something that did not happen in this instance. Activists also protested against the deal outside the US embassy.
The civic groups say the deal is secretive and an example of democratic regression, 20 years after Eswatini adopted a constitution to give more of a say to parliament in a country where the king has long wielded absolute power.
Eswatini's Prime Minister Russell Dlamini stated that the government acted within its powers and that the constitution makes allowances for it to reach such agreements with foreign governments. The deal has also raised concerns from neighboring South Africa, fearing that the deportees could potentially cross into their territory.
