The government of Eswatini has announced that Orville Isaac Etoria, a 62-year-old Jamaican man deported from the United States, has been successfully repatriated to Jamaica. The Eswatini government stated that Etoria was warmly welcomed by his family upon his arrival over the weekend.
Etoria’s situation has drawn significant criticism from the Legal Aid Society of New York. The organization highlighted that Etoria had been a lawful permanent resident in the US for decades after coming to the country as a child. He, along with four other individuals from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen, were controversially expelled to Eswatini in July under the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies, with US officials describing them as “depraved monsters.” These five individuals have since been held in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison in Mbabane, the capital of Eswatini.
The Legal Aid Society also noted that Etoria had reportedly transformed his life, successfully reintegrating into American society after serving a 25-year prison sentence for murder. His deportation and subsequent imprisonment in Eswatini without due process has been a major point of contention. Lawyers representing the remaining deportees have expressed concerns about their clients’ well-being, as they have been unable to contact them. Eswatini’s government has indicated its intention to repatriate all remaining individuals.
The mass deportation policy was a key element of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Critics argue that such policies often result in individuals being expelled to countries with which they have no connections. Activists within Eswatini have also condemned the agreement, deeming it “unconstitutional” and protesting outside the American embassy. Legal challenges are underway, with human rights groups arguing that the government’s actions require parliamentary approval.
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is Africa’s last absolute monarchy. It is a landlocked nation bordered by South Africa and Mozambique, with King Mswati III having reigned since 1986.
Additional reporting by Wycliffe Muia.
Related stories from the BBC:
- Is it legal for US to deport foreign criminals to Africa?
- Zuma’s daughter marrying polygamous Eswatini king ‘for love’
- Why did Swaziland take 50 years to change its name?