Jamaican Citizens in Eswatini Decline Repatriation Offers

The Jamaican government announced that two of its three citizens deported to Eswatini by the United States have turned down offers to return to Jamaica. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated late Thursday that officials are still trying to contact the third individual.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the two men were informed about the consular assistance available and the government’s willingness to facilitate their return. The Jamaican authorities were unable to determine their immigration status in the U.S. or arrange their return, and both individuals expressed a desire not to come back to Jamaica.

Contact with the men was made through the Jamaican Consulate in Miami and a legal adviser representing them. The men’s identities have not been disclosed. Jamaica’s outreach followed diplomatic efforts with U.S. officials in Washington and formal representations to Eswatini’s government via Jamaica’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria, South Africa.

There is rising criticism from lawyers and human rights groups about the U.S. government’s increasing third-country deportations, including to Eswatini. Eswatini, a small kingdom next to South Africa, is led by a king who has absolute power and has been accused of suppressing pro-democracy movements.

Orville Etoria, the first Jamaican sent to Eswatini under this program, was repatriated to Jamaica last September. His lawyers claimed his deportation there in July 2025 was illegal. They also reported that he and others were frequently denied access to legal counsel while in Eswatini. Etoria received repatriation assistance from the International Organization for Migration, a U.N. agency.