New Delhi, July 18 -- Five immigrants deported by the United States to the small southern African nation of Eswatini under the Trump administration's third-country program are in prison, where they will be held in solitary confinement for an undetermined time, a government spokesperson said.

Thabile Mdluli, the spokesperson, declined to identify the correctional facility or facilities where the five men are, citing security concerns. She said Eswatini planned to ultimately repatriate the five to their home countries with the help of a United Nations agency.

In cell phone messages to The Associated Press on Thursday, Mdluli said it wasn't clear how long that would take.

The men, who the U.S. says were convicted of serious crimes and wer...