The United States deported five men, including a Cuban, to the kingdom of Eswatini, a small country neighboring South Africa.

The men, who the Department of Homeland Security described the “criminal illegal aliens” as citizens of Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen and had been convicted of crimes ranging from statutory rape to murder.

“This flight was carrying individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X.

The government of Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, acknowledged that there is “widespread concern” about the deportations to their country.

“The five inmates are currently housed in our correctional facilities in isolated units where other similar offenders are held. The The nation is confident that these inmates pose no threat to the country or its citizens,” spokesman Thabile Mdluli said in a statement.

Eswatini and the United States will work with the United Nations immigration agency to “facilitate the transit” of the deportees to their home countries, Mdluli added.

The deportation of these five migrants is the second time the U.S. has deported them to African countries.

Earlier this month, the U.S. government sent eight migrants of various nationalities, including two Cubans and a Mexican, to South Sudan after a court lifted restrictions on sending people to countries with which they The detainees have no ties.

Formerly known as Swaziland, Eswatini is a small, landlocked country neighboring South Africa and Mozambique. It has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986.

Latinos Sent to Africa

Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin detailed in a series of posts on X the crimes of which those deported this week were accused.

In the case of the Cuban citizen, whose identity was not disclosed, he was convicted of several crimes, including first-degree murder and aggravated assault. He also claimed to be a "confirmed member of the Latin Kings street gang." According to McLaughlin's account, the other deportees were also convicted of crimes such as statutory rape, murder, and other acts of violence. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing it to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their home country. Trump has established negotiations with several African countries to take in deportees who are not accepted in their home countries. Rwanda has confirmed it has held talks with Washington, while Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Moldova have also been mentioned by US press sources.

The Trump administration has already deported foreigners of various nationalities to El Salvador and Costa Rica.

South Sudan, a country devastated by internal wars, had also previously agreed to take eight men deported from the United States.

Among them were Cubans José Manuel Rodríguez Quiñones and Enrique Arias Hierro, as well as a Mexican, Jesús Muñoz Gutiérrez. All were facing felony convictions.

Along with other migrants from Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and South Sudan, they were held in a civilian facility in the capital, Juba, under the watch of police and the National Security Service.

In April, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked all visas for South Sudanese passport holders, blaming the country for failing to accept its repatriated citizens back in a “timely manner.”

It’s unclear whether the arrival of the eight deportees has changed that.

Facing pressure from Washington, Nigeria’s foreign minister said last week it would not accept Venezuelan deportees or convicts from third countries from the United States.

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