Jamaican Man Detained in Eswatini Under U.S. “Third-Country” Program Repatriated to Kingston

A Jamaican national, Orville Etoria, who spent two months in a maximum-security prison in Eswatini after being deported there under a U.S. “third-country” removal program, has been returned to Jamaica, officials confirmed.

Etoria was repatriated on September 21 with assistance from the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), an Eswatini government spokesperson said.

His detention drew criticism from rights groups after he was allegedly denied access to legal counsel multiple times and held without charge, according to Associated Press reporting.

How he ended up in Eswatini

Etoria was transferred to Eswatini, where he has no citizenship or family ties, under a Trump-era policy that allows U.S. authorities to deport selected migrants to designated third countries.

Jamaica had indicated it was willing to receive him, but he was nonetheless sent to the Southern African kingdom, which rights monitors, including Amnesty International, have flagged for alleged abuses.

U.S. government’s position vs. defense claims

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Etoria and four other men sent to Eswatini in mid-July were “dangerous,” citing prior criminal convictions and outstanding deportation orders in the United States. Attorneys representing the men dispute that characterization, saying their clients completed their sentences and were removed without due process.

The third-country program is currently used in four nations, including South Sudan, Ghana, and Rwanda, critics say. Legal and human-rights advocates argue the policy exposes migrants to risk by relocating them to countries where they lack ties or legal status. DHS maintains it can transfer individuals it deems dangerous to participating countries or require them to depart the U.S. voluntarily.

Others still in custody

While Etoria is back in Jamaica, advocates say other detainees from the same transfer remain in custody in Eswatini. Limited independent information has emerged about their conditions in prison or the status of any legal proceedings.

This story will be updated as more details on the remaining detainees become availabl