Overview
- The top court in Eswatini upheld in-person meetings with counsel for the first group of men the U.S. flew there under a third‑country deportation deal.
- Judges rejected the government’s claim that the detainees did not want the local rights lawyer, clearing the way for confidential legal access inside Matsapha prison.
- Eswatini has received at least 19 deportees since July 2025 under a $5.1 million agreement with the U.S., and two have been repatriated so far.
- Lawyers in Eswatini and the U.S. are still challenging the legality and transparency of the deal, even after a local case was dismissed and moved to appeal.
- Rights groups and Senate Democratic staff say the broader program has cost at least $40 million to send roughly 300 migrants to third countries, with opaque terms and prolonged detention raising human-rights concerns.