Jamaican Pastor among 11 deported by US to Eswatini under Third-Country Agreement

A Jamaican pastor is among 11 people deported from the United States who arrived in Eswatini this week under a US-Eswatini agreement allowing the southern African kingdom to host third-country nationals temporarily.

According to NBC News, Eswatini has accepted its fourth group of deportees under the bilateral arrangement, with the latest group consisting mostly of people from African countries. The deportees will remain in Eswatini temporarily while their rights are protected, government officials said.

The Jamaican Observer confirmed the pastor’s identity as Junior Alves. He is the second Jamaican known to have been sent to the country under the US third-country nationals agreement.

Family members told Observer Online that Alves does not have a criminal conviction in the United States. They said he had been allowed to remain in the country after receiving protection under the Convention Against Torture in 2016, which required him to report annually to US immigration authorities.

Alves was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at his home on January 11 and remained in custody until his deportation this week, according to his family.

Eswatini Acting Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said authorities are committed to protecting the rights of those transferred to the kingdom during their temporary stay.

“The government reaffirms that, during their temporary stay in the Kingdom, the fundamental rights of the third-country nationals will be respected and protected in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Kingdom’s international obligations,” Mdluli said in a statement.

Mdluli said security measures have also been put in place to protect Eswatini and its residents while the deportees remain in the country.

Eswatini, a nation of about 1.2 million people located between South Africa and Mozambique, began accepting people deported from the United States in 2025 under an agreement to host individuals who cannot be returned directly to their countries of origin.

The latest arrivals mark the fourth group received by Eswatini under the program. According to NBC News, only two people previously transferred to the country have since left, returning to Cambodia and Jamaica.

The US third-country deportation program has drawn attention as Washington seeks alternative destinations for some individuals facing removal from the United States.