Deported Immigrant Released from African Prison After Over a Year

Phone Chomsavanh, a Laotian citizen who was deported to Eswatini in Africa under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, has been released from a maximum-security prison after more than 14 months of detention. His lawyer confirmed Sunday that Chomsavanh was en route to Laos.

Chomsavanh was among five immigrants deported to Eswatini in July 2025 as part of a secretive and controversial third-country deportation program initiated by the Trump administration. Chomsavanh, who has no ties to Eswatini, was informed of his deportation destination shortly before landing there on a military cargo plane.

His U.S.-based lawyer, Tin Thanh Nguyen, stated that Chomsavanh had completed his sentences in the United States for serious crimes by the time of his deportation. Despite having served his time, he was taken to the Matsapha Correctional Complex in Eswatini, where he was held for over a year without being charged with any crime.

Chomsavanh was born in a Thai refugee camp after his parents fled Laos, and his family later moved to the United States when he was seven years old. He is one of approximately 500 immigrants deported from the U.S. to African countries that are not their home nations since the third-country program began last year, according to Human Rights First.

Eswatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy, reportedly received $5.1 million from the Trump administration to accept deportees. The country has received around 30 deportees to date. Several African countries have accepted U.S. deportees, some in exchange for significant financial payments.

The third-country deportation program has faced strong criticism from rights groups and legal advocates. Concerns include immigrants being held in countries where they have no connections and have not been accused of any crimes. Legal challenges have been filed both in the U.S. and in the countries receiving deportees.

The Trump administration has defended the policy as a means to expedite the removal of individuals with final deportation orders from the U.S., particularly when their home countries are reluctant to accept them. A U.S. appeals court previously upheld a ruling to halt the program, citing concerns that it did not provide immigrants adequate time to challenge deportations to third countries where they might face persecution or torture.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a temporary stay, allowing the administration to continue swift deportations to third countries while the case is heard in December. The program has been largely conducted with limited transparency regarding the number of deportees, their destinations, and the conditions of their confinement.