Wayne Lumbasi
Eswatini has confirmed receiving $5.1 million from the United States in exchange for taking in migrants deported from American detention centres. Government officials say the money is intended to strengthen the country’s border and migration management systems.
Under the agreement, Eswatini is expected to accept up to 160 foreign nationals removed from the U.S. So far, 15 men have been flown into the kingdom in two batches, with the first group arriving in July and another in October. They are currently held at Matsapha Correctional Centre as authorities assess their status and determine long-term arrangements.
The funds were deposited in the National Disaster Management Agency account, although the Finance Ministry says the money cannot be spent until it is formally captured in the national budget. Officials also confirmed the arrival of deportees from countries such as Vietnam and Jamaica, with one already repatriated to his home country.
The agreement has stirred intense debate within Eswatini, with many questioning why a small nation would position itself as a destination for deportees rejected elsewhere.
Concerns are growing over whether the country can genuinely guarantee the welfare, safety, and legal processing of individuals it had no prior responsibility for. Some citizens argue that the financial reward suggests Eswatini is being used as a convenient holding ground for migrants the U.S. no longer wants, raising uncomfortable questions about sovereignty, national priorities, and the ethics of trading human displacement for funding.
The secrecy surrounding the negotiation has also fuelled suspicion, leaving many wondering what additional obligations the country may have accepted behind closed doors and whether the partnership serves Eswatini’s long-term interests.
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