Phone Chomsavanh, a Laotian citizen deported from the United States to Eswatini under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, was released from a maximum-security prison on Sunday after being detained for more than 14 months, his lawyer said. Chomsavanh was among five immigrants sent in July 2025 to the African nation—where he holds no personal ties—as part of the U.S. government’s third-country deportation program, according to The Associated Press.
Tin Thanh Nguyen, Chomsavanh’s U.S.-based attorney, stated that his client had already served his sentence for serious crimes committed in the U.S. before being placed on a military cargo plane without prior notice. Chomsavanh was subsequently transferred out of Eswatini and landed in Johannesburg en route to Laos, Nguyen reported.
Deportation to Eswatini and Detention Conditions
Chomsavanh and four other individuals were housed at the Matsapha Correctional Complex near Mbabane, the administrative capital of Eswatini, after arriving on a military flight in July 2025. Nguyen criticized the lack of administrative process surrounding the transfer, noting that the detainees received no hearings or opportunities to object before arriving in a country where they had never lived.
Born in a refugee camp in Thailand after his parents fled Laos, Chomsavanh moved to the United States at the age of seven. Eswatini, functioning as Africa’s last absolute monarchy, agreed to accept deportees as part of an arrangement with the Trump administration that involved $5.1 million in payments. The nation has received approximately 30 deportees under this initiative.
Courts challenge US third-country deportation program
Advocacy groups Human Rights First and Refugees International estimate that the United States has deported roughly 500 immigrants to various African nations since the third-country program began. The initiative targets individuals with final deportation orders whose home countries do not immediately accept their return.
The program faces multiple legal challenges in the United States. A federal appeals court recently upheld a judge’s ruling to halt the policy because it denied immigrants adequate time to challenge removals based on fears of persecution or torture. However, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily permitted the administration to continue the fast-track removals while scheduling oral arguments for December.
Why Phone Chomsavanh was sent to Eswatini
Why was Phone Chomsavanh sent to Eswatini?
Chomsavanh was sent to Eswatini in July 2025 under the U.S. third-country deportation program because his home country, Laos, did not immediately take him back after he completed a prison sentence for serious crimes committed in the United States.
How much was Eswatini paid to accept deportees?
Eswatini received $5.1 million from the Trump administration under an agreement to accept deportees from the United States, according to the official arrangement between the two governments.
What is the current legal status of the third-country deportation program?
A U.S. appeals court upheld a ruling to halt the program over due process concerns, but the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allowed the administration to continue removals pending oral arguments scheduled for December.