NEWS & POLITICS
Nigeria rejects U.S. deportees, Eswatini complies
Nigeria has firmly rejected a proposal from the United States to accept deportees from Venezuela and other third-party nations, drawing a sharp line against growing pressure from the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policy.
Noluthando Buthelezi
Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar confirmed Nigeria’s position, stating that the government would not succumb to demands to house deportees denied re-entry by their home countries.
"We already have over 230 million people," Tuggar told Channels TV. "We have enough problems of our own, for crying out loud." His comments came in response to a Wall Street Journal report detailing U.S. President Donald Trump’s request for African leaders to accept migrants as part of a broader third-country deportation agreement. Nigeria is the first nation to publicly reject the proposal.
The United States has ramped up mass deportations as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown. However, some countries, such as Venezuela, have refused to accept their deported nationals.
While Nigeria has taken a strong stance against the plan, other nations appear more accommodating. The Kingdom of Eswatini confirmed it had received five individuals deported from the U.S. under this policy. According to government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli, the move followed “months of robust engagement” with U.S. officials. She emphasized that Eswatini remains committed to international diplomatic protocols and is working closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the safe transit of the deportees to their countries of origin.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed that the individuals sent to Eswatini came from countries including Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, Jamaica, and Yemen. Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the deportations as necessary for national security.
However, the policy has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates. Critics argue that the Trump administration is deliberately targeting nations with poor human rights records to absorb deportees, raising fears that returnees could face inhumane treatment. There are also growing concerns that many individuals are being deported without a fair chance to appeal their removal in court.
Since taking office in January, President Trump has launched an aggressive deportation campaign, sending convicted criminals and undocumented migrants to third-party countries such as El Salvador, South Sudan, and now Eswatini—escalating tensions over U.S. immigration policy on the global stage.
