The story of Orville Etoria is a stark illustration of the human costs and complex legal challenges within the U.S. immigration system. A lawful permanent resident since childhood, Etoria’s life took an unexpected and drastic turn that left legal experts and human rights advocates in shock.

Orville Etoria, 62, arrived in the United States in 1976. He built a life, served a 25-year sentence for a murder conviction from 1997, and upon release on parole in 2021, reintegrated into society. He found meaningful work at a men’s shelter and was actively pursuing a master’s degree. His path seemed set towards a quiet, rehabilitated life.

Deportation to Eswatini

That path was abruptly halted during a routine check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was detained and, just a short time later, found himself on a plane, not heading to his home country of Jamaica, but to Eswatini, a small kingdom in Southern Africa where he had no connections, family, or history.

The U.S. government defended the action as part of a third-country deportation program, framing Etoria as a “uniquely barbaric” criminal whose original nation had allegedly refused entry. Human rights advocates, including the Legal Aid Society, swiftly countered this narrative, stating that Jamaica had not refused him and that the U.S. had violated due process by essentially transporting him to a foreign nation without proper legal procedures.

Imprisonment 

Etoria’s time in Eswatini was a harrowing chapter. He was held in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison in the capital, Mbabane, for over two months. He had no access to legal counsel and faced no formal charges in the foreign land. The international community watched as this unprecedented situation unfolded.

Repatriation

Ultimately, international pressure and diplomacy prevailed. With the support of the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Eswatini government repatriated Etoria to Jamaica on September 22, 2025. He was finally reunited with his family, ending a bizarre and distressing ordeal that many have described as a form of “human trafficking” orchestrated by the U.S. government.

While Etoria is home in Jamaica, the legal and ethical questions surrounding the U.S.’s third-country deportation program remain. The fate of the other four individuals deported alongside Etoria is still uncertain, highlighting an ongoing legal battle that continues to challenge international norms and human rights principles.

Controversy

The case sparked criticism from human rights advocates who labeled the U.S. third-country deportation program as “unlawful” and a form of “human trafficking”. The U.S. reportedly agreed to pay Eswatini over $5 million to take in up to 160 deportees. The four other men deported with Etoria remain in detention in Eswatini while legal challenges continue.