The U.S. on Wednesday deported five migrants convicted of serious crimes—ranging from child rape to murder—to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini, the Department of Homeland Security said.
The flight carried nationals of Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen whose home countries “refused to take them back,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote on X, describing them as “depraved monsters” who had “terrorized American communities.”
Eswatini, which has not publicly commented, joins South Sudan and several Central American nations as a recipient of U.S. “safe third country” deportations cleared this year by the Supreme Court. Previous flights under the policy have sent migrants to South Sudan, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
The court’s June ruling lifted bans on returning people to countries where they have no ties, and the administration has reportedly held talks with Rwanda, Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Moldova as possible destinations.
