Here’s why the U.S. is sending deportees to random countries: Video
More African countries are now agreeing to take in deportees from the United States under a policy known as “third country deportation.”
The U.S. says the plan helps speed up removals, especially when a person’s home country refuses to take them back.
So far, Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda, and Eswatini have signed separate agreements with Washington. Each country has accepted small groups of people, most of whom have no personal ties to these nations.
In the latest case, ten people were flown to Eswatini, including individuals from Jamaica, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen. Rights groups in Eswatini, however, went to court to stop the transfer, arguing it was illegal and violated international law.
The deportees still arrived a day before the hearing resumed in Mbabane. U.S. officials defended the move, saying the policy is meant to handle “uncooperative” countries.
But human rights advocates, including those at Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, call it unethical.
They say it strips people of due process and leaves them stranded in countries where they have no connections or support systems. Governments that agree to the policy often say they are cooperating for diplomatic reasons or humanitarian grounds.
Critics, however, believe some are doing so to maintain good relations with Washington or gain other forms of support.
As Reuters reports, the Eswatini government is now facing a legal challenge over its agreement with the U.S., while there are similar disputes in Ghana over alleged unlawful detentions of deportees.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
