A Cambodian national detained for five months in Eswatini under the Trump administration’s controversial third-country deportation initiative has been released pending repatriation, marking the second such release from the African kingdom. Pheap Rom, who previously served a 15-year U.S. prison term for attempted murder, was transferred to Eswatini in October 2024 under a program that has relocated approximately 300 migrants to nations with which they have no established connections.
The United States has dispatched 19 migrants to Eswatini across three separate groups since July, pursuant to a $5.1 million agreement permitting detainment for up to one year. While Eswatini’s government characterizes these individuals as being in ‘transit,’ legal representatives contest the lawfulness of their detention without criminal charges in the host nation.
This case highlights ongoing judicial scrutiny of the third-country deportation policy, which faces multiple legal challenges in both U.S. courts and recipient nations. Last month, a federal judge ruled the program unlawful due to insufficient procedural protections, though an appeals court subsequently suspended that decision.
The selection of partner countries—including Eswatini, South Sudan, and Equatorial Guinea—has drawn criticism from human rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers. These nations have been criticized for authoritarian governance patterns and questionable human rights records, raising ethical concerns about the financial arrangements underpinning the deportation agreements.
Rom’s attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, emphasized that the release validates their position that these deportations constitute unnecessary and illegal detention, fundamentally bypassing established immigration protocols and denying deportees their legal rights.