Eswatini Repatriates US Deported Man Back to Jamaica Amid Controversy

Wed Oct 22 2025 15:39:00 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Eswatini government has confirmed the repatriation of Orville Isaac Etoria, a Jamaica citizen who was deported from the US under controversial immigration policies. His treatment during detention has drawn widespread condemnation.

Eswatini has returned Orville Isaac Etoria, a Jamaican citizen deported from the US under President Trump's immigration policies, back to Jamaica. Etoria's deportation was criticized for lacking due process, and he was reportedly held in solitary confinement in Eswatini. Legal groups have condemned his treatment and emphasized that Etoria had lawful resident status in the US for decades. Other deportees from the US remain under severe conditions in Eswatini, and there are ongoing efforts to repatriate them.

Eswatini Repatriates US Deported Man Back to Jamaica Amid Controversy

The Eswatini government has confirmed the repatriation of Orville Isaac Etoria, a Jamaica citizen who was deported from the US under controversial immigration policies. His treatment during detention has drawn widespread condemnation.

A Jamaican man deported from the US to Eswatini under President Donald Trump's tough new immigration rules has been sent on to Jamaica, the Eswatini government has said.

Orville Isaac Etoria, 62, was voluntarily repatriated at the weekend and was warmly welcomed by members of his family, it added.

However, his treatment has been criticized by the Legal Aid Society of New York, which claims Etoria came to the US as a child and held lawful permanent resident status there for decades.

Etoria and four other individuals - from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen - were characterized by the US government as depraved monsters when they were expelled to Eswatini in July.

Since then, they have been held in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison in Mbabane, the capital. Lawyers for the remaining four deportees have revealed they have been unable to communicate with them. Meanwhile, the Eswatini government has stated it is actively working to repatriate all of them.

Trump's controversial promise to conduct mass deportations was a focal point of his election campaign and garnered significant support. In some instances, individuals have been expelled to countries where they possess no ties.

Etoria had reportedly transformed his life during a 25-year prison sentence for murder and reintegrated into American society when he was deported and imprisoned again in Eswatini without due process, according to the Legal Aid Society.

Activists in Eswatini have denounced the arrangement as unconstitutional and protested outside the US embassy, while rights organizations have initiated legal actions to challenge the deportation agreement, asserting that parliamentary approval was necessary.

Despite the criticism, the Eswatini government insists it has acted within its authority. Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, remains the only absolute monarchy in Africa, ruled by King Mswati III since 1986.