Jamaican man repatriated from Eswatini after U.S. deportation, lawyers say

A Jamaican man who was among five migrants deported by the United States to Eswatini has been repatriated to Jamaica, Eswatini authorities and his lawyers said. Orville Etoria, 62, had been held in a maximum-security prison in Eswatini for more than two months without charges or access to legal counsel, his lawyers said Tuesday. They alleged U.S. officials sent him there unlawfully in mid-July under the Trump-era third-country deportation program, even though Jamaica had offered to take him back. His lawyers described the detention as arbitrary and said visits by a lawyer were repeatedly denied while he was held in Eswatini.

Etoria was repatriated on Sunday with the assistance of the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, Eswatini government acting spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said. She also noted engagements with the other four men—one each from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen—to arrange their return home. The five men were described by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as dangerous criminals, though Eswatini’s government described their status as in transit and said they would be sent home. Lawyers for Etoria have said the men had completed their criminal sentences but were placed in Eswatini prison without charges or due process.

The U.S. has sent more than 30 deportees to at least four African countries since July under the third-country deportation program, including South Sudan, Eswatini, Rwanda and Ghana, with Uganda under a separate agreement though no deportations there have been announced yet. Rwanda has said it would ultimately receive up to 250 deportees, while Eswatini is expected to take a large number as part of the agreement with Washington. Human Rights Watch criticized the program, calling it a violation of international human rights law and saying it instrumentalizes human suffering as a migration deterrent. The group also cited undisclosed details of the deportation arrangements, including payments to host governments; HRW said the U.S. would pay Eswatini about $5.1 million to take up to 160 deportees and that Rwanda could receive up to 250.

Two court cases have been filed in Eswatini challenging the detention of the five men, including a bid for in-person access to lawyers. A second case brought by several nonprofit organizations argues that their detention is unconstitutional. Hearings for the first case have been repeatedly delayed, and government officials failed to appear for a hearing in the second case.

In a broader context, rights advocates point to cases such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant whose deportation to El Salvador has become a focal point in criticisms of the policy. Abrego Garcia’s case and related transfers have intensified scrutiny of the U.S. third-country deportation approach under its immigration enforcement framework. The program has drawn attention beyond Africa, with earlier reports of a Mexican migrant repatriated after weeks in detention in South Sudan and other deportees reportedly held by U.S. authorities in Djibouti and elsewhere while awaiting processing.

The apportionment of the program remains contested, with officials describing the policy as a lawful tool to enforce immigration laws, while critics warn that migrants can be sent to countries with limited access to legal recourse and due process. The United Nations and international rights groups have urged greater transparency and adherence to international human rights standards as the program expands to additional countries on the continent and beyond.