By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider 

The Trump administration has deported five criminals to the kingdom of Eswatini from the United States citing them as “criminal illegal aliens”. 

According to the U.S Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary, Tricia Mclaughlin, a flight consisting of five deportees from Jamaica, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba and Yemen were convicted for crimes related to murder and child rape. 

“This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.” Mclaughlin wrote on X (Twitter). The kingdom of Eswatini has acknowledged growing concern over these deportations. 

Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mduli has stated that; “Five inmates are currently housed in our correctional facilities in isolated units, where similar offenders are kept. The nation is assured that these inmates pose no threats to the country or its citizens” added Mdluli.

Analysts suggest that the reason that Eswatini are willing to cooperate in helping the United States dispose of these deportees is due to the United States holding the fourth largest market for the country’s biggest export being sugar and Eswatini aim to keep this trade intact as well as it being a strategy for avoiding the tariff hikes that America is imposing on African countries.

 The Swati Solidarity Network has voiced disdain for this deal with America citing it as “deplorable”. Spokesperson for the organisation Lucky Lukhele had told BBC that Eswatini must avoid becoming a dumping ground for criminals for the United States government and the people of Eswatini’s security must be a priority for its citizens. 

There has been widespread public concern over whether the country has facilities to securely house these criminals. The U.S Supreme Court had approved the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants from America to countries other than their own, the Trump administration has even deported migrants to El Salvador and Costa Rica.

South Sudan had recently accepted to house eight immigrants on their soil from the United States and have said that these men never arrived in handcuffs and appeared to be in good health. The country that is currently divided by war, has said that they will house the immigrants to a civilian facility in the capital city of South Sudan, Juba. Due to the failure of South Sudan being able to safely return citizens that the United States wished to repatriate, the U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked all visas from South Sudanese passports in April. 

Donald Trump’s plan to implement a mass deportation was the pivotal talking point of his campaign and received widespread support including from Hispanic voters. This has caused backlash on the Trump administration however due to the inconsistency of this policy which aims to revoke visas from certain countries however choosing to grant relief to white Afrikaans farmers who fled South Africa over an alleged “White Genocide”.