Kristi Noem restarts third-country deportations

President Donald Trump ‘s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has continued deportations of illegal immigrants to third-party countries. Five migrants with criminal records were flown to Eswatini this week even though none of them originated from the small country in southern Africa, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin announced.

The Supreme Court last month ruled that the Trump administration could continue its deportation of migrants to nations that were not their countries of origin. Following that ruling, the eight men from Asia and Latin America at the center of the case were deported earlier this month to South Sudan.

Migrants who landed in Eswatini on Tuesday are originally from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen. It’s not clear when the administration struck a deal with the African country to accept migrants.

‘[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,’ McLaughlin wrote on X on Tuesday night.

‘These depraved monsters have been terrorizing American communities but thanks to Trump and Noem they are off of American soil.’ She listed the migrants’ crimes, which included child [sexual assault], murder, robbery, assault, aggravated battery of a police officer and grand theft auto.

A July 9 memo on the operations claims that third country deportation flights could take place within six hours of migrants being notified. Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Rodd Lyons said in that memo that there would typically be a 24-hour period between when migrants are informed and when they are deported.

Asked if the men who were given prison sentences for their crimes remain in the custody of law enforcement in Africa, McLaughlin told NBC News: ‘That’s up to Eswatini.’

The country of Eswatini is landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique. Its land area is smaller than the state of New Jersey and has a population of 1.2 million, according to a 2023 estimate. Eswatini is Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy.

It’s not immediately clear whether more migrants will be departed to Eswatini and what terms the U.S. reached in its agreement to send convicted criminals and illegal immigrants there. The administration has a goal of deporting 1 million immigrants every year. By June more than 100,000 illegal immigrants were sent out of the country.

Off track of Trump reaching the goal by the end of the first year of his second term, deportation flights have been increasing in recent months after setbacks earlier in the administration. ICE conducted 190 deportation flights in May alone.