Eswatini deportation deal faces scrutiny over detention and funding
France 24 reports that 32 migrants deported from the US have been sent to Eswatini under an undisclosed agreement covering up to 160 people. Officials have given conflicting accounts of the reported US$5.1 million in funding.
Eswatini has received 32 migrants deported from the United States on four flights over the past year, according to France 24. An agreement obtained by the broadcaster provides for up to 160 people to be held at Matsapha prison, but the government has not published its terms.
The detainees had previously been convicted by US courts and come from several countries. Vietnamese deportee Dung Nguyen told France 24 he was arrested in the US in July 2025 and transferred to Eswatini, a country he had never heard of.
The arrangement has drawn protests and legal challenges. Lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi said he was repeatedly denied access to the detainees; a court authorised him to meet them in March 2026.
The agreement, dated 14 May, provides for US$5.1 million for border and migration capacity. Whether the money was paid, and where it went, remains disputed: Prime Minister Russell Dlamini said there was no financial compensation, while the finance minister later said funds had been deposited with the National Disaster Management Agency.
Government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the deportees posed no threat and were in transit. Justice Minister Prince Simelane described them as “guests of the king”. The report says only five have returned to their home countries; the current number detained is unclear.
