Eswatini at the Center of Global Deportee Controversy: Why America’s Violent Offenders Are Being Sent Abroad

Eswatini’s sudden role as a host nation for some of America’s most dangerous deportees has raised alarms about a hidden international practice: the relocation of violent criminals through secret bilateral agreements.

A Hidden Network of Criminal Transfers

Since 2020, at least 17 countries — mostly across Africa and the Caribbean — have quietly accepted violent offenders from the United States and other Western nations. These transfers are often governed by classified memoranda of understanding, many of which reportedly involve financial incentives for host governments.

READ: Eswatini Becomes 'Dumping Ground' for US Violent Criminals

Human rights lawyer Thando Mbeki warns that the scheme blurs the line between lawful deportation and exploitation:

“This is not deportation. It’s human trafficking with government letterheads. Murderers and sex offenders are being auctioned off to the highest-bidding jailers.”

Security Risks of Deportee Relocations

Experts in penal reform caution that the practice creates serious security challenges for receiving nations:

• No local ties: Deported criminals often lack family or community connections in host countries.
• Overcrowded prisons: Fragile prison systems struggle with overcrowding, creating conditions ripe for radicalization.
• Documentation gaps: Weak record-keeping allows some deportees to eventually disappear into local populations.

These risks raise concerns that instead of solving crime, the practice could simply be relocating danger from one country to another.

Why Eswatini Is a Special Case

Eswatini’s participation is particularly alarming given its porous borders with South Africa and Mozambique, two nations already struggling with cross-border crime syndicates and drug trafficking networks.

Analysts warn that the relocation of high-risk offenders to such a strategically vulnerable location could have regional security consequences, making Southern Africa an unintended hub for recycled international crime.

Calls for Transparency and Accountability

Civil society organizations are now demanding greater transparency in how these agreements are negotiated and enforced. Many argue that taxpayers in both sending and receiving countries deserve to know how public money and safety are being managed in such sensitive arrangements.

READ: Security Fears Grow as Deported Criminals Could Flood Southern Africa

Until governments address the legal and ethical questions surrounding deportee relocations, Eswatini’s case will remain a controversial example of how global powers handle their unwanted violent offenders.