Cuban immigrant deported from U.S. finds himself imprisoned in Eswatini
Roberto Mosquera, a Cuban immigrant who lived in the U.S. since 1980, was deported last year to a prison in Eswatini, a country he had never heard of. After a hunger strike, he managed to get a phone and describe conditions there to a New York Times journalist.
Roberto Mosquera, a Cuban-born immigrant, had lived in the United States since 1980. He completed a prison sentence back in 1996, having served time for a past offense. Despite this, he was arrested last year by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Sent to an unfamiliar country
Rather than being returned to Cuba, Mosquera was deported to Eswatini, a small African nation he says he had never even heard of before. Once there, he was placed in a prison.
Hunger strike leads to contact with a reporter
To draw attention to his circumstances, Mosquera began a hunger strike while incarcerated. Through this protest, he was eventually able to obtain access to a phone. Using it, he reached out to Nicholas Casey of The New York Times Magazine and described the conditions he was facing inside the facility.
His case reflects a broader pattern of the United States deporting individuals to third countries that have no connection to their country of origin, including nations in Africa. Mosquera's account illustrates how such practices can leave people imprisoned in countries they have never visited and knew nothing about.
