‘Our Country Is Not A Junkyard’: What Trump Did To Anger This Small African Nation

Last Updated:July 18, 2025, 12:22 IST

The deported men from five different countries were sent to the African nation under Trump’s policy of relocating criminals when their own countries refuse to take them back

The criminals were sent to Eswatini under the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy. (AP/File)

A special aircraft from the United States landed in the southern African nation of Eswatini last week, carrying five foreign nationals accused of grave crimes, including child rape and murder, who had illegally entered the U.S.

According to the US administration, their home countries were unwilling to take them back, prompting their deportation to Eswatini as a ‘third country’. This decision has thrust the small nation, with a population of 1.2 million, into the spotlight of global debate and sparked protests within Eswatini.

Among the deported are citizens of Vietnam, Cuba, Jamaica, Yemen, and Laos. Described by the US as ‘extremely brutal criminals’, they were sent to Eswatini under the Trump administration’s third-country deportation policy, which aims to relocate criminals when their native countries refuse repatriation.

The Eswatini government has placed these individuals in isolation at an undisclosed prison for security reasons, though local media reports suggest they are being held at Matsapha Correctional Centre, the country’s most secure prison, located outside the capital, Mbabane. This measure is believed to be an attempt to mitigate public outrage.

What’s Fueling Public Anger In Eswatini?

The people of Eswatini, along with opposition parties, have voiced strong objections to this decision. PUDEMO, an opposition party, stated, “Our country is not a junkyard where other countries dump their anti-social elements. Our society is already struggling with unemployment and health crises." Prominent leaders have questioned the nature of the US-Eswatini agreement, as such high-level arrangements are unusual for a nation of Eswatini’s size.

What The United Nations Is Saying

The United Nations’ migration agency, IOM, disclosed they were unaware of this operation and were not consulted. However, they expressed willingness to assist from a humanitarian perspective if contacted. The US’s third-country deportation policy has faced controversy previously, notably under the Trump administration when hundreds of Venezuelans were deported to Costa Rica, Panama, and South Sudan. Many of these individuals were initially confined in containers at a military base in Djibouti.

Location :

United States of America (USA)

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News world ‘Our Country Is Not A Junkyard’: What Trump Did To Anger This Small African Nation