The United States sent five immigrants it describes as “barbaric” criminals to the African nation of Eswatini in an expansion of the Trump administration’s largely secretive third-country deportation program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.

MBABANE, Eswatini (Eye Radio) – Eswatini has become the second African nation, after South Sudan, to accept third-country deportees from the United States, following the arrival of five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos this week in the country.

This decision has sparked widespread public disapproval and raised concerns about the kingdom’s sovereignty and security, according to a CNN report. The move is particularly controversial given the US portrayal of Eswatini as a “safe third country.”

The landlocked nation, with a population of just over one million, is already grappling with severe socio-economic challenges, including high poverty rates, unemployment, and congested prisons.

Human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, also report a deteriorating human rights situation following crackdowns on pro-democracy movements.

More than half of Eswatini’s population lives on less than $4 a day, according to the World Bank. The decision has drawn strong condemnation from local and regional groups.

The opposition party PUDEMO stated that accepting foreign deportees from the US “poses a serious risk to our already vulnerable communities,” which are “battling a severe scourge” of crimes, including rape and murder.

“Our country must not be treated as a dumping ground for those deemed unfit to live elsewhere,” the group asserted in a statement to CNN.

Lucky Lukhele, of the Swaziland Solidarity Network, an exiled civil society group based in South Africa, told CNN that the arrangement was “clear racism to think Africa is a dumping ground for Donald Trump.”

Lukhele, citing unnamed sources, warned that more US deportees might be sent to Eswatini, noting that “Swazi prisons are (already) overcrowded” with prisoners who “get one meal a day.”

The Multi Stakeholder Forum (MSF), a coalition of Eswatini’s civil society groups, echoed these sentiments, stating that the country’s “sovereignty and dignity must not be traded off for unclear deals or political expediency.”

The exact benefits for Eswatini from housing US deportees remain unclear, as government spokesperson Mdluli informed CNN that “the terms of the agreement (with the US) remain classified information.”

When asked about the potential for more foreign US deportees, she stated there was currently no information to that effect.

This development follows a similar pattern seen with South Sudan, where the Trump administration previously deported detainees from Djibouti after a judge denied an emergency bid to block their flight.

Eswatini’s decision also comes amidst a backdrop of deteriorating trade relations with the US under the Trump administration.

Eswatini’s trade privileges with the US came under threat in April, facing a 10% tariff on its exports, while neighboring South Africa was hit with a 30% tariff, causing panic within Eswatini’s central bank over the economic “implications.” These tariffs are slated to take effect on August 1.

The intake of US deportees by Eswatini has also generated uproar in South Africa, whose relations with the US have reportedly deteriorated under the Trump administration.

A South African government source told CNN there is “a feeling that some inside the Trump administration could be using this (the deportation of prisoners to Eswatini) to destabilize South Africa,” given its porous borders and Eswatini’s struggling economy.

Another diplomatic source suggested the deportations to Eswatini were a provocation by the US and a direct national security threat, noting that the US had previously asked South Africa to accept migrants, which they refused.

“Everyone knows that these fellows (the deported convicts) will want to move to South Africa,” the source added.

Ken Opalo, an associate professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC, cautioned that African nations are being pressured by the Trump administration “into doing egregious things such as accepting migrants from random countries or giving them (the US) their mineral wealth in ambiguous deals that don’t make much sense.”

He warned that “it’s foolhardy for African countries to think that they can make deals and expect a credible commitment from the White House, given their transactional nature, which means everything is subject to change.”

On July 5th, South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed the arrival of eight migrants, including one South Sudanese, who had been deported from the United States of America over the weekend.

In a press release on its official Facebook Page, the Ministry stated that the individuals were received on July 5th at Juba International Airport, following a standard deportation procedure undertaken by the U.S.