US deportee held over a year in Eswatini prison released, lawyer says

October 4, 2026 at 11:52 PM2 min

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Phone Chomsavanh, a Laotian citizen deported by the United States to Eswatini in July 2025, was released from a maximum-security prison on Sunday after more than a year in detention, his lawyer said. Chomsavanh is now being deported to Laos, according to his U.S.-based lawyer Tin Thanh Nguyen. The release comes as the Trump administration's third-country deportation program faces criticism from rights groups.

Key Facts

Phone Chomsavanh was deported to Eswatini in July 2025 and held at Matsapha Correctional Complex for more than 14 months.
Chomsavanh was released on Sunday and is now being deported to Laos, with a stop in Johannesburg.
Eswatini received $5.1 million from the Trump administration to accept deportees under the third-country deportation agreement.
Around 500 immigrants have been deported from the US to African countries that are not their home nations since the program began last year.
Chomsavanh was among five immigrants deported to Eswatini in July 2025, all of whom had served their US sentences.

Release and Deportation

Phone Chomsavanh was released from Matsapha Correctional Complex near Mbabane on Sunday after more than a year in detention. His lawyer, Tin Thanh Nguyen, said Chomsavanh had left Eswatini and landed in Johannesburg en route to Laos. Chomsavanh was informed he was being deported to Eswatini only shortly before the military cargo plane carrying him landed there in July 2025. An Eswatini government spokesperson did not immediately acknowledge Chomsavanh's release.

Third-Country Deportation Program

Chomsavanh was among five immigrants deported to Eswatini in July 2025 under the Trump administration's third-country deportation program. The five deportees had been convicted of serious crimes in the US but had served their sentences before being sent to Eswatini. Eswatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy, was paid $5.1 million by the Trump administration to accept deportees, according to the agreement between the countries. Around 500 immigrants have been deported from the US to African countries that are not their home nations since the program began last year, according to Human Rights First and Refugees International. Around a dozen African countries have accepted third-country deportees from the US, some in exchange for millions of dollars in payments.