IOM says 'not contacted' over prisoners deported to Eswatini from US

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was not involved in the removal of third-country migrants from the United States to Eswatini and has not been contacted to help send them back home, the agency said on Thursday.

Eswatini had said a day earlier that it was holding the deportees in prison but that it planned to "collaborate with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the transit of the inmates to their countries of origin."

The United States deported the five individuals – from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen – to the Southern African country on Tuesday, saying that they were convicted criminals and their home countries would not take them back.

The IOM is a United Nations agency tasked with ensuring that migration, whether for economic reasons or owing to disasters and humanitarian emergencies, is managed in a way that respects human rights.

'Not involved'

In response to questions from Reuters, a spokesperson said: "IOM was not involved in this operation and has not been requested to provide post-removal assistance."

"As always, IOM stands ready to support member states, upon request and where operationally feasible, in line with its humanitarian mandate," they added.