Taking a Stand Against U.S. Third Country Deportations to Africa!

Introduction

The United States of America (U.S.) Third Country Deportees programme looks more like a twenty-first century version of dumping toxic waste in the Global South. Only that, this time around, it is not toxic waste but toxic persons, criminals considered and classified by the U.S. as security risks. Criminals even rejected by their own countries of origin. These are not mere immigration violators but convicted criminals, individuals found guilty of murder, robbery, sexual assaults, rape, etc. Criminals not necessarily originating from Africa are to be and are now being deported to African countries. It is on record that so far, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Eswatini (Swaziland)^[1] have agreed to these deals with the U.S.

Cases In Point

Deported To Juba (South Sudan)

On 4 July 2025, the U.S. deported eight criminals to Juba, South Sudan. The eight, shackled in chains, were flown to Juba, but because of some legal drama when a U.S. court had blocked their deportation, the plane was diverted to Djibouti. However, Trump's administration took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump's administration won the case and the eight were eventually redirected to Juba where the plane landed. After landing, word from Juba was that the eight were held in a civilian facility.

 The Eight (8)

A look at the eight deported to Juba reveals that only one criminal originates from South Sudan itself. The other seven originate from Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cuba, Vietnam, and the U.S.'s southern neighbor, Mexico.

Deported To Mbabane (Eswatini/Swaziland): The Five (5)

On 16 July 2025, hardcore criminals were flown from the U.S. to Mbabane, Eswatini. These five deportees originated from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, and Yemen. These five have been convicted of crimes ranging from child rape to murder.^[2] U.S. Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an online post on the social media site X, "A safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed," pointing out that "This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back."^[3] McLaughlin further described criminals deported to Eswatini as: "depraved monsters", who had been "terrorizing American communities". She went on to pour out a sigh of relief when she commented that: "They are off of American soil". Expressing that, "so that they will not harm any more American victim ".

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the men deported to South Sudan and Eswatini were: “the worst of the worst,” and included people convicted in the United States of child sex abuse and murder. “American communities are safer with these heinous illegal criminals gone,” Jackson said in a statement.

But the question is, will the receiving African communities be safer, or it does not matter because it is Africa? What guarantee is there that Africa will be safer and Africa will not be victims of the "worst of the worst", deported from the U.S. criminal system?

What About African Safety?

Is there any guarantee that Africans will not be the next victims, or does it not matter at all if Africans are victims? For example, let us look at South Sudan, where these deportees are being sent. According to the U.S. foreign department, South Sudan is a "black hole" of human rights abuses and discourages its citizens from going there, because of a lot of crime, kidnappings, and other dangers due to war and political instability. If these traumatized, dangerous individuals can be radicalized, what if they vanish or disappear? Who is going to pay the price? What will happen when these dangerous deportees escape, run away, or disappear in Juba's "civilian facility" where, according to official reports, these deportees are being held? Who will bear the consequences of such? - of course... African victims.

A Forced Yes

The Trump administration is using a litany of arm-twisting tactics to get African governments to agree to these questionable deals. Washington, DC is using Visa restrictions, travel bans, tariffs, foreign aid leverage, and diplomatic pressure to force vulnerable African nations to accept the criminal deportees. This is not a U.S.-Africa development partnership at its best. It is a strategy which treats Africa not as sovereign equals but as a ground for solving U.S's legal, political, and security problems. Exporting western problems to Africa, dumping their security problems is just like dumping toxic waste to Africa.

Bad precedence

Powerful nations like the U.S. using travel, trade, and aid as tools to extract political obedience is not and will never be good for global partnerships and quest for global development. Moreso, Africa is already struggling with its own developmental challenges. As if not enough;

Dumping toxic waste, electronic waste, offering expired medication, offering bad trade deals and now dumping toxic criminals and in turn demanding political loyalty and silence from Africa is not only inhumane but it is also not a prerequisite for global south development.

The image of Africa

This U.S. Third Country Deportation initiative is going to hit hard on Africa's image. A continent already ravaged by poverty, unemployment, poor governance, dictatorships, overstaying in power, wars, and diseases, among many other negatives. An image of Africa as home of humanity, progenitor of humanity, a place of harmony, of nature, of life, of dignity of humanity, all such images of Africa are going to be shattered. The U.S.’s deportation policy will gradually turn Africa into a place of dangerous criminals, not of course from Africa but dumped from the West.

Does Africa have a duty to accept criminals?

The question is, of these security risks or criminals being deported from the U.S., some of them have been refused by their home countries. So, is Africa a place to send people whom no one else wants? Also, does Africa have a moral duty to accept these criminals? Or is this an attempt by some forces to rewrite international norms and use Africa as a back trap? Who said security risks from Western countries should be dumped in Africa?  Is it even normal? Is it even humane? Is it just to dump them in Africa, a continent already struggling with its own problems? Is Africa a trash bin for toxic criminals or other nations’ security risks/problems? Is it fine to turn Africa into a private prison for Western criminals?

Question To African Leadership

And when African leaders sign and accept such deals for a price, is African Leadership blind or are choosing not to see that they are short charging their own people? - selling out the welfare, safety of their own citizens, and the future and dignity of their own people.

A dangerous blueprint for Africa

These U.S. Third Country Deportations are for now a mere blueprint. But it can also be about testing a strategy and mother Africa is being used as a testing laboratory. Soon other western powers will follow suit, dumping dangerous criminals in Africa. Europeans will follow suit, dumping their security risks in Africa, China, Australia etc. And what will become of Africa - one big private prison? So far one is not far from the truth by pointing out that what the U.S. is currently doing, making secret deals with African leadership is testing how far they can push Africa, how Africa is willing to be pushed, how Africa will respond as the West impose security risks and criminals in Africa with no accountability.

The Contrast

At a time when African countries through backdoor dubious deals are being forced to accept these deportees from the U.S.'s criminal system, Washington DC is busy tightening its screws, issuing travel bans, travel restrictions and why, to protect its national security and public safety, so the Washington DC administration argues. This is clearly stipulated in Executive Order 14161 of 20 January 2025 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats), which stated that it is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten U.S. national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes. And Africa, what are we doing to protect Africa's national security as well as combat public safety threats? Now that Africa, or more specifically, some countries in Africa, are accepting deals to have U.S. security threats or risks dumped into their countries, how is Africa protecting or planning to protect its national security and combating public safety threats? Is it by accepting U.S security risks/threats or criminals? This is the million dollar question.

Africa's weak response

Worryingly, all this Third Deportation drama is playing out in silence. These deals are being made in silence, no public consent, no parliamentary oversight discussions or a clear legal framework. No debate, no outcry, no Civil Society outrage, no Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) outcry. No media overdrive coverage. The African Union is silent, no pushback, no resistance, nothing, except at least in Eswatini.

Africa Fights Back: Eswatini Groups Challenge U.S. Deportee Agreement in Court

In Mbabane, eSwatini law groups and activists on 14 August 2025, filed an urgent High Court application seeking to nullify an agreement with the United States that led to the detention of five foreign nationals at Matsapha Maximum Correctional Facility. The five deported from the U.S. have no family or legal ties to eSwatini, and were deported from the United States under an undisclosed deal between the two governments. Eswatini had become the first Southern African Development Community country to accept U.S. “third-country deportees.” According to the Eswatini law activists, such a deal violates Section 238 of the Eswatini Constitution, because it was reached without parliamentary or public input.^[4]

Behind Closed Door Deals

Why African Leadership continues to make such important deals privately, behind closed doors continues to haunt desires for transparency and good governance across the continent.

“The circumstances under which this agreement has been concluded raise serious concerns about executive overreach, human rights and national security,” the applicants said.^[5] 

“The Constitution envisions a transparent, participatory and accountable system of governance in which the executive cannot unilaterally make major international decisions, especially those with significant political, financial, and human rights implications.”^[6]

What should be done?

Africa should fight back or push back against the U.S. "Third Country deportees policy”. For the policy is setting the wrong precedent. This should be done loudly, clearly, and strategically. Africa has been quiet for too long. African Leadership should speak with one voice and not comply. Africa has enough of its own problems. Africa should and must stop being compliant to western powers who want to turn Africa into a private prison of the West. Surely, African people deserve respect, dignity, humanity, safety and sovereignty. 

Africa is not a trash bin for western countries' security risks; Africa should not become a detention centre for Western security risks and criminals.

F. Madondo is an African Teacher and can be reached at [email protected]

Endnotes