President Donald Trump deported five people to Eswatini last week, part of his administration’s policy of third-country deportations.
“Third country,” a term used to describe Eswatini, refers to a country that agrees to accept immigrants who are refused entry to their native countries. The immigrants remain in the “third country” until their return to their native countries can be negotiated.
The news comes after a July 9 memo issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s acting director, Todd Lyons, to other ICE employees on how to handle third-country deportations. The memo, according to the Washington Post, notes that federal officers can initiate the deportations with as little as six hours’ notice, even if there’s a risk the arrival country will persecute or torture the migrant sent there.
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