JOHANNESBURG, March 12 (Reuters) – Eswatini said it had received four more third-country deportees from the United States on Thursday, bringing the total to at least 19 as the Trump administration continued its crackdown on immigration.
Two of the fresh deportees were from Somalia, one was from Sudan and one was from Tanzania. Previous deportees, arriving in July last year, included nationals of Vietnam, Cuba, Laos and Yemen.
A lawyer for some of that earlier group, Alma David, told Reuters a Cambodian man, Pheap Rom, was due to be repatriated, the second to be released after another man was sent back to Jamaica last year.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration paid the small southern African country $5.1 million to receive them.
“In line with this agreement, … the nation has received another cohort of four third-country nationals from the United States,” said the statement by the government of Eswatini, an absolute monarchy ruled by King Mswati III.
Eswatini is one of several African countries to have made such secretive deals. The high court last month threw out a case filed by local human rights lawyers that challenged it, though they have appealed.
Despite having served their sentences for crimes on U.S. soil, the remainder are still in prison in Eswatini.
“Intensive engagements with the respective countries of origin … are ongoing,” the statement said.
(Reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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