Eswatini, a small kingdom in southern Africa, emerged this week as a possible destination in the ongoing U.S. immigration case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, drawing global attention as officials scrutinize his claims that numerous countries present persecution or torture risks.
Abrego Garcia, who has renewed a push for asylum in the United States and has said a new country is willing to accept him, has been at the center of a contentious deportation fight. He and his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, were photographed entering a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore on Aug. 25, 2025, as reporters looked on.
U.S. officials previously planned to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, but his attorneys listed Uganda among at least 22 countries they said posed a risk of persecution or torture. Many of the more than 20 countries cited by his legal team are in Latin America. The breadth of that list drew direct criticism from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which said in a notice that the claim of fear is "hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries." The notice was made public by immigration authorities and has been cited in media coverage of the case.
The possibility that Eswatini might accept Abrego Garcia prompted a surge in public interest online. Reports said the looming prospect of deportation to Eswatini led to increased global searches about the country, which was formerly known as Swaziland and is largely surrounded by South Africa with a partial border with Mozambique.
According to World Bank figures cited in coverage of the case, Eswatini has a population of more than 1.2 million people and covers roughly 6,704 square miles, an area comparable to the U.S. state of Hawaii. The country has not been widely discussed in prior public reporting on U.S. deportations, which helped fuel curiosity when it was mentioned as a possible location for Abrego Garcia.
Abrego Garcia's legal team has argued that he faces risks in multiple countries and has sought to block removal from the United States while pursuing asylum. U.S. immigration authorities have responded in statements and formal notices that the number and variety of countries cited by his attorneys undercuts the credibility of a singular fear of persecution, according to the ICE notice.
The case has drawn attention not only for its legal arguments but for the diplomatic and logistical questions that arise when a removal is contemplated to a country with which the United States does not typically coordinate large-scale repatriations. Media coverage in recent days has focused on both the legal filings and on which countries might be willing to receive an individual the U.S. government seeks to remove.
The dispute over Abrego Garcia's removal underscores broader tensions in immigration enforcement and asylum adjudication, where courts, immigration agencies and legal advocates frequently clash over assessments of danger in potential countries of return. The matter remains active in immigration proceedings, and any final decision on removal or asylum will be determined through the administrative and legal processes underway.