The secret agreement with US President Donald Trump’s administration to accept third-country deportees is accused of being unconstitutional.
According to the legal challenge, due process was violated because the agreement was not submitted to parliament for approval.
Furthermore, the overcrowded jail where the men are being held, which is 190% over capacity, has denied them access to the prisoners.
In July, deportees from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen, and Cuba, who Washington claims are dangerous criminals, were transported to the country.
Eswatini asserts that they are being held in solitary confinement until they can be repatriated.
Their imprisonment at the maximum-security Matsapha Correctional Centre has sparked outrage in Eywatini, an absolute monarchy ruled by King Mswati III.
King Mswati previously stated that the deportees pose no threat and that the agreement was based solely on Eywatini’s good relations with Washington.
The case was scheduled to be heard at the High Court of Eywatini on Friday but was postponed until September 25, reportedly due to the government’s failure to file response papers.
Eywatini’s attorney general informed Reuters news agency that the case lacks grounds, describing it as “a frivolous legal application”.
Donald Trump aims to deport millions of immigrants who entered the US unlawfully, and his administration has sought to increase removals to third countries.
Source: http://www.africanews.com/2025/08/24/eswatini-government-faces-court-challenge-over-us-deportees/
