The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that a deportation flight carrying immigrants from various countries has landed in Eswatini, Southern Africa — marking one of the first such removals following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to lift restrictions on third-country deportations.
In late June, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Trump administration, allowing it to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them the opportunity to present evidence of potential harm.
The ruling bolstered President Donald Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.
“A safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed — This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said late on Tuesday.
McLaughlin, in a thread posted on social media platform X, identified five deportees on the flight originating from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen.
She said the individuals had been convicted of serious crimes including child rape and murder.
Earlier this month, a top Trump administration official indicated in a memo that immigration authorities may carry out third-country deportations with as little as six hours’ notice.
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While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) typically gives at least 24 hours’ notice to migrants about their removal to a third country, the July 9 memo from acting ICE director Todd Lyons allows for expedited removals in “exigent circumstances,” provided the migrants are given an opportunity to speak with a lawyer.
The memo also stated that deportations could proceed to countries that have pledged not to torture or persecute migrants, bypassing the need for additional legal procedures.
The development suggests the Trump administration is prepared to ramp up its global deportation operations under the broadened legal framework.
Human rights groups have voiced concern over the potential erosion of due process protections under the new deportation measures, even as the Trump administration defends its policies as necessary for national security.
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