The Trump administration has deported five immigrants convicted of serious crimes to Eswatini, following a Supreme Court decision that lifted restrictions on sending people to third countries.
The men, from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos, were described by Washington as "so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back".
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for homeland security, called them "depraved monsters" who had been "terrorising American communities but thanks to president Trump and Kristi Noem they are off of American soil".
The deportations mark the latest in America's expanded use of third-country transfers, with eight men already sent to South Sudan.
Reuters
|The Trump administration has deported five immigrants convicted of serious crimes to Eswatini, following a Supreme Court decision that lifted restrictions on sending people to third countries
The five deportees include a Vietnamese national accused of child rape, whilst the men from Jamaica, Laos and Cuba were convicted of murder, according to McLaughlin.
The specific nature of their crimes led their home countries to refuse repatriation, forcing the US to seek alternative destinations.
This follows the Supreme Court's ruling that America can deport individuals to countries where they have no ties.
The decision has opened the door for the Trump administration to pursue agreements with nations willing to accept deportees, regardless of the convicted criminals' lack of connection to those countries.
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Eswatini's government has remained silent on the deportations, with no immediate comment on where the men will be housed or what will happen to them.
Ingiphile Dlamini, a spokesperson for the pro-democracy group Swalimo, said: "There has been a notable lack of official communication from the Eswatini government regarding any agreement or understanding with the US to accept these deportees."
He warned that the landlocked nation of 1.2 million could "face significant strain in accommodating and managing individuals with complex backgrounds, particularly those with serious criminal convictions".
Dlamini said his organisation wanted clarity on plans for the five men and "any potential risks to the local population".
Reuters
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The Trump administration has indicated it is seeking additional deals with African nations to accept deportees as part of its mass deportation strategy.
The matter was discussed last week when leaders from five West African nations visited the White House.
The US has already sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama.
A recent administration memo stated that migrants could be deported to third countries with as little as six hours' notice, provided those nations pledge not to persecute or torture them "without the need for further procedures".