Eswatini Repatriates US Deportee to Jamaica Amid Controversy

Sat Oct 25 2025 23:03:47 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Eswatini government has confirmed the repatriation of Orville Isaac Etoria, a Jamaican man deported from the US under strict immigration policies, to Jamaica. The move follows international backlash regarding his treatment.

Orville Isaac Etoria, 62, a Jamaican man who faced deportation from the US to Eswatini, has been repatriated back to Jamaica after significant public outcry. Etoria's deportation was part of a controversial policy under former President Trump, sparking criticism from human rights organizations regarding the legal and ethical implications of his treatment and the handling of other deportees.

The Eswatini government has announced the repatriation of Orville Isaac Etoria, 62, a Jamaican man who was deported from the United States under former President Donald Trump's stringent immigration regulations. The repatriation took place over the weekend, with Etoria reportedly receiving a warm welcome from his family in Jamaica.

Etoria's case has drawn sharp criticism from the Legal Aid Society of New York, which argues that he had been a lawful permanent resident in the US for decades prior to his deportation. Along with Etoria, four other individuals—originally from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen—were also sent to Eswatini, where they were subsequently held in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison in Mbabane.

The US government had labeled these individuals as depraved monsters during the deportation process in July of this year. Over the past months, lawyers representing the remaining deportees have claimed they have been unable to establish communication with their clients, raising concerns about their treatment and legal rights.

Despite the backlash, the Eswatini government maintained that its actions were lawful and within their power. Human rights activists within the country have labelled the arrangement unconstitutional, citing that such a significant agreement should have received parliamentary approval. Protests have occurred outside the US embassy in Eswatini, denouncing the deal and calling for a review of the deportation practices.

Etoria's history includes a difficult past that saw him serving a 25-year prison sentence for murder, after which he had reportedly rehabilitated and reintegrated into American society. His abrupt deportation and subsequent imprisonment in Eswatini have sparked debates about the legality and morality of US deportation practices, especially in cases where individuals have no connections to their claimed 'home' countries.

Eswatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy, has been under the rule of King Mswati III since 1986. The country is situated between South Africa and Mozambique and was formerly known as Swaziland.