HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

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Cuban and Yemeni men deported to Eswatini, imprisoned without charges or legal access

Apr 10, 2026

Two migrants—one from Cuba and one from Yemen—were deported to Eswatini on July 16, 2025, as part of a group of five men sent to the country. Roberto Mosquera, the Cuban, was arrested by ICE at a routine immigration check-in in Florida on June 13, 2025, and deported without notice. Both men have been imprisoned in Eswatini's Matsapha Correctional Centre in isolation with no charges filed and initially no legal representation permitted. Their attorney states they have already served their U.S. sentences and are being held indefinitely while awaiting repatriation. In April 2026, after nine months of detention, Eswatini's Supreme Court ruled they have the right to meet with a local lawyer, a right previously denied. Civil society organizations have threatened legal action challenging the legality of their detention under Eswatini law.

Timeline

Apr 10, 2026Eswatini Supreme Court rules detainees have right to meet with local lawyer after nine months of denied in-person legal access
Mar 5, 2026Cuban and Yemeni men file complaint with African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights; one detainee had conducted 30-day hunger strike in late 2025
Jul 18, 2025Civil society organizations threaten legal action over deportations and detention without charges or legal access
Jul 16, 2025Five men deported from U.S. to Eswatini aboard military plane; Cuban and Yemeni men imprisoned at Matsapha Correctional Centre in solitary confinement
Jun 13, 2025Roberto Mosquera, Cuban immigrant, arrested by ICE at routine immigration check-in in Miramar, Florida

Sources

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