A Jamaican man who was deported to Eswatini (Swaziland) in Africa after completing his sentence for murder and other felony crimes is now back home, thanks to a sustained effort by his government and a strong coalition of different agencies, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an official announcement stated this week.
Instead of being sent back to the island where government officials said he would have been welcomed as per standard policy, Orville Etoria was put on a chartered plane to Eswatini and locked down for nearly three months without contact with his lawyers or the outside world. His situation had sparked a sustained international effort for his release, as the Jamaican government had made it clear it was willing to accept any legitimate national being deported from any country. Officials say they were baffled by the Trump administration’s decision to dump him in a third country.
Announcing his release, Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith praised the island’s diplomatic mission in nearby South Africa, the IOM, and a string of others who had worked tirelessly to bring Etoria back home. He came back on Sunday. Officials have asked the public to respect his privacy.
“We are pleased to welcome home Mr. Etoria, and we trust the Jamaican people understand and join the government in respecting his desire for a quiet return. We reaffirm that the well-being of Jamaicans overseas is a constant priority for the government and note that this case is another example of the importance of international cooperation and the role of our diplomatic network in protecting the rights of Jamaican nationals overseas,” she said in a statement late Monday.
Etoria, now 62, was convicted of felony crimes in the US in 1997 and released on parole in 2021. He was swept up in the mass deportation system in place since President Trump took power earlier this year.
The Jamaican government is happy that the saga has ended, as it reiterated its policy of accepting nationals deported from other countries.
“We are grateful to the government of Eswatini for its cooperation in this matter and for the duty of care it has exercised. We also thank the IOM for its direct support and commend our high commission in Pretoria for its hands-on engagement. Together, our combined efforts ensured Mr. Etoria’s safe return.”
The Department of Homeland Security had described Etoria and the four others who were the first to head to Africa as “barbaric,” calling them dangerous criminals who should not be allowed to remain in the US, noting that “this flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back. These depraved monsters have been terrorizing American communities. However, they are off American soil thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem.”
Several Caribbean Community countries have, in recent months, received varying numbers of deportees arriving either by chartered or commercial flights from the US.
