Trump-Era Deportation Plans: A Look Back at Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Case and Eswatini

While not a breaking news item in 2025, the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia offers a retrospective look into the Trump administration’s immigration policies and its efforts to deport individuals to various African nations, including Eswatini. During the Trump presidency, Abrego Garcia faced a complex legal battle, initially fighting deportation to Uganda due to fears of persecution. Subsequently, the administration informed him of plans to deport him to Eswatini, citing his objections to numerous other potential destination countries.

Court documents and reports from the period indicated that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official confirmed the intent to deport Abrego Garcia to Eswatini, then known as Swaziland. This move came despite a federal judge ruling that his deportation could not proceed until at least early October of that year, pending testimony from administration officials. Abrego Garcia, who had previously been mistakenly deported to El Salvador and spent weeks in a notorious prison, had expressed a preference for Costa Rica, which had shown willingness to grant him legal status.

The case also highlighted the Trump administration’s broader strategy of striking deals with several African countries—Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Eswatini—to receive foreign deportees. Abrego Garcia was in ICE custody at the time, facing human smuggling charges, with the administration attempting to expedite his deportation even before the conclusion of his trial. His ongoing efforts to renew his asylum bid were to be heard by an immigration judge within the Justice Department, adding another layer to his legal challenges during that contentious period of immigration enforcement.

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