"The idea that Africa is Trump's dumping ground is blatant racism"
Some claim that African countries received compensation from the United States
The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump is facing strong backlash from African nations after deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records to countries such as South Sudan and Eswatini, with which the deportees have no personal ties.
On July 17 (local time), CNN reported that citizens of Eswatini, one of the recipient countries, expressed outrage, saying, "This is not Trump's dumping ground." The report also noted that there are concerns in other countries that accepting deportees could pose a threat to national security.
After taking office, President Trump launched a large-scale crackdown on undocumented immigrants. He also established a policy allowing the deportation of undocumented immigrants to third countries if their countries of origin refused to accept them.
In May, ten immigrants from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Pakistan were deported to South Sudan, a country with which they had no connections. On July 15, five immigrants were sent to the African monarchy of Eswatini. None of the deported immigrants were originally from South Sudan or Eswatini.
The People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), an opposition party in Eswatini, strongly criticized the situation in a statement sent to CNN, saying, "Our country should not be treated as a dumping ground for people deemed unfit to live elsewhere."
Lucky Luphele of the Swaziland Solidarity Network, based in South Africa (Swaziland is the former name of Eswatini), also condemned the move, stating, "The idea that Africa is Trump's dumping ground is blatant racism." He added that, according to anonymous sources, more undocumented immigrants from the United States are expected to arrive in Eswatini, and pointed out that Swaziland's prisons are already overcrowded.
South Africa claimed that the Trump administration pressured it to accept deportees. A South African diplomatic source told CNN, "Everyone knows that the deported criminals want to move to South Africa," and added, "The United States requested that South Africa accept the deportees, but we refused."
Another government source commented on the deportation of undocumented immigrants to Eswatini, which borders South Africa, stating, "It feels like an attempt to destabilize South African society."
Some have argued that the African countries accepting the deportees may have received compensation from the United States. The Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), a coalition of civil society groups in Eswatini, criticized the arrangement, saying, "Sovereignty and dignity should not be traded for ambiguous deals or political convenience."
In response, Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told CNN, "The terms of the agreement (with the United States) are confidential."
CNN reported that the five immigrants deported to Eswatini are being held in solitary confinement, and while they could potentially be repatriated to their countries of origin, no concrete plans have been made yet.
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