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Orville Isaac Etoria, a 62-year-old Jamaican man, was recently deported from the U.S. to Eswatini under former President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies. However, in a surprising turn, the Eswatini government has now confirmed that Etoria has been sent on to Jamaica.
Etoria was repatriated voluntarily over the weekend and was “warmly welcomed by his family,” according to Eswatini officials.
This move follows a controversial decision to send Etoria, alongside four other deportees from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen, to Eswatini in July. The U.S. government had previously labeled these individuals as “depraved monsters” when they were expelled. Upon arrival in Eswatini, Etoria and the others were placed in solitary confinement at a maximum-security prison in the capital, Mbabane.
The Legal Aid Society of New York has sharply criticized Etoria’s treatment, arguing that he had been living in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident since childhood. The Society also emphasizes that Etoria had served a 25-year prison sentence for murder but had since rehabilitated and reintegrated into American society before his sudden deportation.
The remaining four deportees have not been in contact with their lawyers, who have expressed grave concerns about their well-being. Eswatini’s government has stated it is working to repatriate them as well, though their current status remains unclear.
Trump’s administration made mass deportation a cornerstone of its immigration agenda, with many people being sent to countries where they have no ties. In Etoria’s case, legal advocates argue that his deportation and subsequent detention in Eswatini violated basic due process rights.
Meanwhile, activists in Eswatini have protested the agreement, calling it “unconstitutional” and arguing that the government acted outside its legal bounds by striking the deal without parliamentary approval. The Eswatini government, however, maintains that it acted within its powers.
Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. The country, formerly known as Swaziland, is landlocked and bordered by South Africa and Mozambique.
