Vietnamese National Repatriated After Detention in South Sudan

A Vietnamese citizen, Tuan Phan, was repatriated to Vietnam after more than a year in detention under the U.S. third-country deportation program. South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his return at a recent press briefing.

Spokesperson Agok Anyar expressed gratitude for Phan’s conduct during detention, highlighting his discipline, joyfulness, and health. Sent to Africa in May 2025, Phan was initially rerouted to a U.S. military base in Djibouti, following a federal judge’s intervention. He ultimately arrived in Juba in July 2025 after the Supreme Court permitted their deportation.

Phan was one of eight men, all with U.S. criminal convictions, detained after serving sentences. The controversial program saw agreements with at least seven African nations to accept non-citizen deportees, with the U.S. compensating these governments. South Sudan’s selection as a receiving country stirred debate due to its poor human rights record and instability, as over half a million were displaced by conflict in 2025.

Phan, who moved to the U.S. in 1991, had received a 25-year sentence for a gang-related homicide in 2000. Although his deportation was ordered in 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him post-sentence in March 2025. He is the second to be repatriated, following Jesus Munõz-Gutierrez’s return to Mexico. South Sudanese national Dian Peter Domach, among the group, was released upon arrival.

Detained in Juba under armed guard, external visits were severely restricted. This situation raised concerns over South Sudan’s adherence to human rights standards, emphasized by Human Rights Watch’s Michael Bochenek.

Details of South Sudan’s agreement with the U.S. remain obscure. However, released State Department documents showed South Sudan sought sanctions relief and legal support for political cases, adding complexity to their cooperation.

Report contributions came from Nairobi, Kenya.