ICE Plans Deportation of Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Eswatini

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national currently in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, faces deportation to Eswatini, a small African nation, after previous plans to send him to Uganda were halted due to his claims of fear of persecution in multiple countries. Despite Abrego Garcia listing 22 countries where he fears persecution or torture—including El Salvador, Mexico, and several Central and South American nations—the Trump administration has designated Eswatini as his new country of removal. Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, violating a 2019 immigration judge’s order, but was returned to the U.S. after international pressure and a Supreme Court intervention. He is currently standing trial for human smuggling charges related to a 2022 arrest in Tennessee, and ICE officials have mocked his fears on social media, characterizing them as unfounded. The deportation to Eswatini is part of a broader Trump administration strategy to manage deportations by relocating immigrants to countries unrelated to their origin, including Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan. Human rights concerns have been raised about Eswatini, which is ruled by King Mswati III and has a history of political repression.