AI Generated Image
Vietnamese national deported by Trump administration to South Sudan returns home
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Tuan Phan, a Vietnamese national deported to South Sudan under the Trump administration's third-country deportation program, was repatriated to Vietnam after over a year in detention in Juba.
- Phan and seven other men with U.S. criminal convictions were sent to South Sudan in 2025 as part of a controversial deal where at least seven African countries accepted deportees not their own citizens, with the U.S. providing financial compensation.
- South Sudan's selection as a receiving country drew criticism due to its poor human rights record, high corruption, and political instability, with deportees held under armed guard and limited independent oversight.
- Details of the U.S.-South Sudan agreement remain unclear, but South Sudan reportedly sought sanctions relief and legal support from the U.S. as part of the arrangement.
- Phan is the second deportee from the group to be repatriated; others remain in South Sudan or were released, including the sole South Sudanese national.
