Eswatini’s government has confirmed receiving $5.1m from the US for accepting people deported from the US as part of a hard-line approach towards immigration.
The southern African kingdom, led by absolute monarch King Mswati III, has come under criticism from rights groups for striking the deportation deal with President Donald Trump’s government.
Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg confirmed the sum received from the US, stating that the ministry had been kept in the dark throughout the process.
The agreement provides for Eswatini to accept up to 160 deportees from the US in exchange for $5.1m to build its “border and migration management capacity”.
Eswatini has so far accepted two batches of deportees – five in July and 10 in October. One of the deportees has since been repatriated to Jamaica, his country of origin.
The government is working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to arrange the repatriation of the other deportees.
The deal has sparked controversy, with lawyers and civil society groups challenging the legality of the government’s decision to accept the deportees.
The US had described some of the deportees as “depraved monsters”, while neighbouring South Africa expressed fears that the deportees could cross into the country over their porous border.
