The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has accused The New York Times of defending a convicted Jamaican murderer, Orville Etoria, after the publication reported on his deportation to Eswatini following his release from prison. Etoria, who was sentenced to 25 years to life in 1996 for murdering a man in Brooklyn, was deported under Trump’s administration despite a standing deportation order. The Times ran an article with the headline, ‘The Man Who’d Served His Time in U.S. Is Deported to an African Prison,’ which detailed Etoria’s crimes and his release from prison in 2021.
DHS criticized the publication for downplaying the severity of Etoria’s crimes and for presenting the deportation as a ‘sob story.’ The department called the report ‘disgraceful and disgusting,’ asserting that the Times was ‘actively defending convicted murderers over American citizens.’ The deportation came after a policy shift under the Biden administration that allowed certain individuals, including Etoria, to remain in the U.S. temporarily. Etoria was originally sentenced to 25 years to life for the 1996 murder and received a deportation order in 2009. His criminal history also included armed robbery, weapon possession, and forcible theft.
During his time at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, Etoria earned a bachelor’s degree through the Hudson Link program at Mercy College and graduated in 2018. He also pursued a master’s in divinity. After his release, the Biden administration allowed him to remain in the U.S. under strict conditions, requiring him to report to ICE. The Trump administration, however, ordered his deportation to Eswatini, a Southern African country where he is not a citizen. The Department of Homeland Security announced the deportation of five individuals, including Etoria, in July, emphasizing the removal of ‘depraved monsters’ from American soil.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that these individuals were ‘so uniquely barbaric’ that their home countries refused to accept them. However, Jamaican officials have disputed the claim that Jamaica and other countries refused to accept Eswatini. Despite this, the deportation proceeded, and Etoria remains in Eswatini alongside four others. The DHS also highlighted that President Trump and Secretary Noem were using every available tool to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities. The incident underscores the ongoing political and legal debate surrounding immigration policies and the treatment of deported convicts.