In brief
A recent deportation flight from the US landed in Eswatini, carrying Southeast Asian nationals and igniting concerns over the treatment of deportees in a country already housing several others from the same program. Rights groups are raising alarms over alleged detention without due process and the treatment of these individuals, highlighting a growing trend of US deportations to African nations under controversial agreements.
MANZINI, Eswatini (FlashPoint) — A flight carrying a group of Southeast Asian migrants recently deported from the United States has landed in Eswatini, raising concerns about human rights violations in the handling of deportees. It's a continuation of the US's contentious third-country deportation program launched under the Trump administration. The flight brought at least nine Southeast Asian nationals, adding to the existing case of four men from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen, already detained without charge in a maximum-security prison. They have reportedly been denied access to legal counsel for nearly three months.Lawyer Tin Thanh Nguyen, representing two Vietnamese nationals on the latest flight, indicated that the deportees had been processed at an immigration detention facility in Louisiana before transfer. He expressed concerns over the health and rights of those being deported.The Eswatini government stated they had agreed to take in more deportees from the US in October, but no specific arrival dates were mentioned. Documents reviewed by rights groups indicate that the US will compensate Eswatini with $5.1 million as part of the deportation agreement, which permits the deportation of up to 160 individuals, following similar flights to South Sudan, Rwanda, and Ghana.Human rights advocates have voiced opposition to the program, citing fears that deportees may face dire conditions and lack of due process in the receiving countries. The pattern of US deportations to countries with questionable human rights records continues to draw scrutiny and raises questions about ethical treatment and legal recourse available to those affected.
