Trump administration deports Somalis to Eswatini in controversial third-country crackdown
Authorities in Eswatini confirmed Thursday that the group arrived on March 11.
Mogadishu (Somali Report) - Two Somali nationals are among four migrants recently deported from the United States to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini under a controversial third-country arrangement that is drawing growing criticism from human rights groups and immigration advocates.
Authorities in Eswatini confirmed Thursday that the group arrived on March 11.
The deportees also included one Sudanese and one Tanzanian national, bringing the total number of migrants sent from the United States to the small kingdom to at least 19.
According to rights organization Amnesty International, the four men are currently being held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex, a maximum-security prison located near the country’s international airport.
Authorities say the detainees are being held temporarily while officials attempt to arrange their return to their countries of origin.
The transfers are part of a broader deportation strategy under the administration of Donald Trump, which has increasingly relied on agreements with third countries to receive migrants who cannot be immediately returned to their home nations.
Officials in Eswatini said the deportations were conducted under a formal arrangement with Washington and that “intensive engagements” are underway with the migrants’ countries of origin.
Under the deal, the kingdom reportedly received about $5.1 million from the United States to facilitate the programme.
Previous deportees sent to Eswatini have included nationals from Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, and Yemen, highlighting the global reach of the policy.
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For Somali migrants, however, the development comes at a particularly sensitive moment. The United States is scheduled to terminate Temporary Protected Status for nationals of Somalia at 11:59 p.m. on March 17, 2026.
The programme has allowed Somali nationals to live and work legally in the United States for decades on humanitarian grounds.
Government figures show there were 1,082 approved Somali beneficiaries of the programme and 1,383 pending applications as of December 2025.
The decision to end the protections has alarmed Somali communities and immigrant rights groups, who argue that conditions in Somalia remain too unstable for safe return due to ongoing conflict, displacement and insecurity.
A lawsuit filed this week by four Somali nationals and two advocacy organizations seeks to block the termination, arguing that the decision was procedurally flawed and influenced by discriminatory bias.
The United States first granted Temporary Protected Status to Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the central government and the outbreak of civil war.
More than three decades later, the country continues to face serious security challenges.
For the two Somali men now held in Eswatini, their future remains uncertain.
But their deportation — just days before protections for Somalis are set to expire — underscores the growing anxiety facing a diaspora community that has relied on humanitarian status in the United States for more than thirty years.
About the Author
Osman Hassan is a Senior Editor at the Somali Report based in Nairobi with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He has worked with local and international media outlets in Somalia and is an award-winning journalist. His reporting focuses on politics, security, and regional affairs in the Horn of Africa.