Vietnamese Man Deported From U.S. To South Sudan Sent Home To Vietnam
South Sudan's government repatriated 44-year-old Vietnamese national Tuan Phan to Vietnam on Friday, June 19, 2026, ending more than a year he spent detained after his deportation from the United States.[1]
Phan was one of eight men sent to South Sudan in July 2025 under a U.S. third-country deportation program after serving prison sentences, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.[1] His U.S. removal order dated to 2009, and U.S. authorities took him into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in March 2025.[1]
ICE took Phan from a Washington state prison on March 3, 2025 as part of efforts to remove noncitizens with criminal convictions.[1] A federal judge briefly blocked the group's transfer in May 2025, diverting the flight to a U.S. base in Djibouti.[1] The Supreme Court lifted a nationwide injunction on June 23, 2025 and the Court cleared the specific group for removal on July 3, 2025, allowing their arrival in Juba days later.[1]
A U.S. Senate report and rights groups said the eight men were confined in a guarded house in Juba with almost no access to outside visitors, prompting human-rights concerns. Advocates also highlighted the unusual nature of sending people with no ties to South Sudan under third-country arrangements and the high logistical costs documented for similar transfers.
The mainstream summary does not mention the broader context of the U.S. government's third-country deportation strategy, which has seen over 19,000 individuals sent to at least 23 countries since its inception. This extensive program, documented by Human Rights First and Refugees International, raises significant human rights concerns, particularly regarding the treatment of deportees like Tuan Phan, who spent a year in detention under conditions that were criticized for their lack of transparency and access to visitors. The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee highlighted the exorbitant costs associated with these operations, estimating that per-person relocation costs can exceed $1 million, which starkly contrasts with the mainstream focus on Phan's individual case without addressing the systemic implications of such deportations.[2][3]
While the mainstream coverage briefly touches on the human rights concerns raised by advocates, it fails to capture the historical context of the deportation of Vietnamese nationals with old criminal convictions. The Asian Law Caucus reported that a 2008 agreement protecting pre-1995 Vietnamese immigrants was increasingly undermined starting in 2017, leading to a significant uptick in deportations beginning in early 2025. This background is crucial for understanding the implications of Phan's case within the larger framework of U.S. immigration policy.[4]
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📊 Relevant Data
As of May 5, 2026, the U.S. government had sent over 19,000 third-country nationals to at least 23 countries under third-country transfer agreements and had signed 34 such agreements while providing at least $44 million in direct funding to participating governments.
Banished by Bargain: Third Country Deportation Watch — Human Rights First and Refugees International
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee minority report documented estimated round-trip flight costs of $427,000 and $307,000 in housing costs at a Djibouti military base for the eight men sent to South Sudan in 2025, with per-person relocation costs sometimes exceeding $1 million in similar operations.
At What Cost: Inside the Trump Administration’s Secret Deportation Deals — U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, June 19, 2026, South Sudan's Foreign Affairs Ministry announced and carried out the repatriation of 44-year-old Vietnamese national Tuan Phan to Vietnam.
- Phan was among eight men deported from the U.S. to South Sudan in July 2025 under a third-country deportation program after serving prison sentences; his U.S. removal order dated to 2009.
- The men were initially diverted midflight to a U.S. base in Djibouti in May 2025 when a federal judge briefly blocked their deportation, before a Supreme Court ruling greenlit their transfer to Juba.
- A U.S. Senate report said the Juba deportees were confined in a guarded house and had almost no access to outside visitors, raising human-rights concerns highlighted by Human Rights Watch.
- Monitoring group Third Country Deportation Watch says more than 180 people have been sent to at least seven African countries that accept non-citizen deportees in exchange for U.S. payments.
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