The Trump administration has told Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran man at the centre of a long-running immigration row, he could be deported to the southern African kingdom of Eswatini.
In an email to his lawyers seen by the BBC's US partner CBS, an immigration officer said they were changing last month's decision to send him to Uganda, after Mr. Ábrego García raised fears of persecution there.
The officer stated the claims were hard to take seriously but the US would nonetheless agree not to send him there.
This marks at least the fourth country floated as a potential destination for the 30-year-old, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March without proper cause, before being returned to the US to face criminal charges.
During the initial deportation, US officials acknowledged that Mr. Ábrego García was removed in error. Following his return, he was detained and charged with human smuggling, to which he pleaded not guilty. US officials allege he is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, an accusation he denies.
His deportation case has become emblematic of the administration's strict immigration policies, raising numerous humanitarian questions. Notably, Mr. Ábrego García has no connections to Eswatini, a nation previously known as Swaziland, which is one of the last remaining absolute monarchies globally, led by King Mswati III since 1986.
The US government has already deported five individuals to Eswatini, labeling them as criminal illegal aliens, which has raised concerns in the small nation about becoming a dumping ground for criminals.
There has been no confirmation from Eswatini regarding any financial arrangements for the deportations. The US remains a crucial market for Eswatini's sugar exports, with analysts suggesting that the nation is keen to maintain favorable trade relationships to avoid tariffs.
Mr. Ábrego García entered the US illegally as a teenager from El Salvador and was arrested in Maryland in 2019 along with three others, later facing detention by federal immigration authorities.
