A Laotian man deported by the United States to eSwatini as part of a controversial third-country deportation program has been released from detention after more than 14 months in a maximum-security prison. Phone Chomsavanh was among five immigrants sent to the African kingdom in July 2025 under a policy initiated during the Trump administration aimed at expediting the removal of immigrants with final deportation orders.

Chomsavanh’s lawyer, Tin Thanh Nguyen, confirmed the release and stated that Chomsavanh had been informed of the deportation only shortly before boarding a military cargo plane bound for eSwatini. After over a year held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex near Mbabane, eSwatini’s administrative capital, Chomsavanh has now been deported to Laos, his country of nationality.

Nguyen described the process as lacking due process, noting that Chomsavanh and the other deportees had served their sentences for serious crimes in the United States before being transferred. “He had already served his time,” Nguyen said, adding that Chomsavanh was detained without prior notice, hearing, or opportunity to contest his removal to a country where he had no prior connections or pending charges.

Born in a Thai refugee camp after his parents fled Laos, Chomsavanh immigrated to the United States at age seven. Despite his background, he was deported to eSwatini—a nation with which he had no personal or legal ties.

Chomsavanh’s case is part of a broader, largely secretive program under which approximately 500 immigrants have been deported from the US to African countries that are not their home countries. Around a dozen African nations have participated in this arrangement, some reportedly receiving millions of dollars in payments. In eSwatini’s case, the Trump administration paid $5.1 million under an agreement to accept deportees, with around 30 individuals sent there to date.

The third-country deportation policy has faced criticism from human rights organizations and legal advocates who argue it violates basic principles of due process and human rights. Immigrants sent to these countries have often been held in detention facilities without facing charges, and many had no opportunity to object or appeal their deportations.

Legal challenges have arisen both in the United States and in the recipient countries. Last month, a US appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that temporarily halted the program, citing the lack of safeguards for immigrants fearing persecution or torture upon removal. However, the US Supreme Court permitted the program to continue for the time being, with full arguments scheduled for December.

The Trump administration defended the policy as necessary to expedite the removal of individuals who had exhausted legal avenues in the US but whose home countries had not promptly accepted their return. Nonetheless, the program’s opacity regarding the number of deportees, their destinations, and detention conditions has drawn sustained international scrutiny. The government of eSwatini did not immediately confirm Chomsavanh’s release.