A Jamaican and a Cuban national were among a group of convicted criminals deported to Eswatini in a “third-country removal operation” announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday.
According to DHS, the individuals were so “uniquely barbaric” that their home countries refused to accept them.
The Jamaican deportee had been convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was also previously convicted of robbery (six-year sentence) and illegal possession of a weapon (six-month sentence).
The Cuban national was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated battery, along with multiple other charges, including assaulting a police officer, grand theft auto, and reckless evasion of law enforcement. DHS identified him as a confirmed member of the Latin Kings street gang.
The third-country deportation flight — part of a growing strategy under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem — landed in Eswatini, a southern African nation, on Tuesday. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the flight was the latest example of the administration’s commitment to removing high-risk criminal aliens from U.S. soil, even when their countries of origin refuse to cooperate.
“Under the leadership of @Sec_Noem and @POTUS Trump, we are removing these convicted criminals from our soil so they can never hurt another American victim,” DHS said in a social media post.
Today, DHS conducted a third country deportation flight to Eswatini. These criminal illegal aliens are so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.
Under the leadership of @Sec_Noem and @POTUS Trump, we are removing these convicted criminals from our…
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 16, 2025
In total, the flight carried deportees from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, and Yemen, all of whom had convictions ranging from child rape to murder.
The use of third-country removals — including to nations like South Sudan and El Salvador — has increased under the Trump administration’s stricter immigration enforcement policies.
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