**Cuban Man Deported to Eswatini on Hunger Strike Amid Detention Concerns**
*Cape Town, South Africa* — A Cuban man deported by the United States to the African nation of Eswatini is currently on a hunger strike at a maximum-security prison, having been held there for over three months without charge or access to legal counsel, his U.S.-based lawyer revealed Wednesday. This detention is part of the Trump administration’s controversial third-country deportation program.
**Background of the Deportation Program**
Roberto Mosquera del Peral was one of five men sent to the small kingdom in southern Africa in mid-July under the U.S. deportation initiative to Africa. The program has faced criticism from rights groups and legal advocates who argue that deportees are being denied due process and subjected to potential human rights abuses.
According to Mosquera’s lawyer, Alma David, he has been on a hunger strike for a week, raising serious concerns about his health. David stated, “My client is arbitrarily detained, and now his life is on the line. I urge the Eswatini Correctional Services to provide Mr. Mosquera’s family and me with an immediate update on his condition and to ensure that he is receiving adequate medical attention. I demand that Mr. Mosquera be permitted to meet with his lawyer in Eswatini.”
**Eswatini Government’s Response**
The Eswatini government has described Mosquera’s hunger strike as “fasting and praying because he was missing his family,” characterizing it as “religious practices” that they would not interfere with. However, this explanation is disputed by David, who insists, “It is not a religious practice. It’s an act of desperation and protest.”
**Detention Conditions and Legal Battle**
Mosquera was part of a group of five men deported from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen to Eswatini—an absolute monarchy ruled by a king accused by several rights groups and the British government of clamping down on human rights. While the Jamaican man was repatriated last month, the others have remained imprisoned for over three months.
An Eswatini-based attorney has initiated legal action against the government, demanding access to legal counsel for the detained men. Additionally, civic groups within Eswatini have taken authorities to court to challenge the legality of detaining foreign nationals without charge.
The Eswatini government has stated that the men will eventually be repatriated but could be held for up to a year. U.S. authorities have indicated plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Eswatini under the same program. Garcia, a native of El Salvador, has been at the center of a complex legal saga involving mistaken deportation, detention in El Salvador, return to the U.S., and subsequent federal charges.
**Criminal Background and Contention**
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the men sent to Eswatini had been convicted of serious crimes—including murder and rape—and were in the U.S. illegally. DHS stated Mosquera was convicted of murder and other charges, though his lawyer contends he was convicted of attempted murder and additional charges. The full criminal record is not publicly available.
Lawyers representing the group have maintained that all have completed their criminal sentences in the U.S. and are now being held illegally in Eswatini.
**U.S. Third-Country Deportation Program**
The DHS has framed the third-country deportation program as a means to remove “illegal aliens” under President Trump’s immigration crackdown. The program offers deportees a choice to self-deport or be sent to a third country like Eswatini.
Since July, the Trump administration has deported individuals to at least three other African nations—South Sudan, Rwanda, and Ghana—through largely confidential agreements. An additional agreement exists with Uganda, though no deportations there have been publicly disclosed.
Human Rights Watch, based in New York, has reviewed documents revealing that the U.S. is paying millions of dollars to African nations to accept deportees. For instance, the U.S. allegedly agreed to pay Eswatini $5.1 million to accept up to 160 deportees and Rwanda $7.5 million for up to 250 deportees.
**Recent Deportees and Ongoing Concerns**
Another 10 deportees arrived in Eswatini this month and are believed to be held at the same Matsapha Correctional Complex prison near Mbabane, the administrative capital. These men hail from Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Cuba, Chad, Ethiopia, and Congo.
Lawyers have reported that the four men who arrived in Eswatini on a deportation flight in July have not been allowed to meet with the Eswatini lawyer representing them. Furthermore, phone calls to their U.S.-based attorneys are reportedly monitored by prison guards. Their lawyers have expressed concern about the lack of information regarding the detainees’ conditions.
David emphasized, “I demand that Mr. Mosquera be permitted to meet with his lawyer in Eswatini. The fact that my client has been driven to such drastic action highlights that he and the other 13 men must be released from prison. The governments of the United States and Eswatini must take responsibility for the real human consequences of their deal.”
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*This case highlights serious questions surrounding the U.S. third-country deportation policy and raises urgent concerns about human rights and legal protections for deportees held overseas.*
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-cuban-deportee-eswatini-roberto-mosquera-del-peral-hunger-strike/