Eswatini repatriates two US-deported nationals as Trump’s third-country policy faces scrutiny

Eswatini repatriates two US-deported nationals as Trump’s third-country policy faces scrutiny MBABANE — Eswatini has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of two nationals who were transferred to the kingdom by the United States under Washington’s controversial third-country deportation arrangement. The two, nationals of Mauritania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), had been residing in Eswatini […]

Eswatini repatriates two US-deported nationals as Trump’s third-country policy faces scrutiny

MBABANE — Eswatini has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of two nationals who were transferred to the kingdom by the United States under Washington’s controversial third-country deportation arrangement.

The two, nationals of Mauritania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), had been residing in Eswatini after being removed from the United States. Both subsequently requested to return to their countries of origin to reunite with their families.

Acting Eswatini Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the Mauritanian national arrived in the kingdom in July 2026 as part of the fourth group of third-country nationals transferred under the arrangement.

“Following his request for voluntary repatriation and his expressed desire to reunite with his family, the Government facilitated the necessary arrangements to enable his return home,” Mdluli said.

The Mauritanian national departed Eswatini on 15 August, while the DRC national, who was part of an earlier group, left the kingdom on 16 August.

Mdluli said the government was also handling requests from other third-country nationals who wished to return to their countries of origin.

The departures come as Eswatini continues to host people transferred from the United States under the Trump administration’s policy of removing some migrants to countries other than their own.

The arrangement has attracted criticism from rights groups, which argue that the policy shifts the burden of US immigration enforcement onto third countries and raises questions about the rights and welfare of those transferred.

Eswatini maintains that the nationals are temporarily residing in the kingdom and that their rights and wellbeing will be protected while arrangements concerning their stay are addressed.

The voluntary departures add a new dimension to the growing debate over Washington’s third-country deportation policy — and the question of what happens when those transferred to a third country ultimately seek to return home.