A Cambodian man who was deported from the United States has expressed that he would have accepted being sent to Cambodia, but instead found himself in a prison in Eswatini, a nation he was unfamiliar with, mistakenly believing it to be another detention facility in Louisiana.<\/p>\n
Pheap Rom, who had faced charges of attempted murder, was among ten individuals deported to Eswatini by the US government in October 2025. These deportees joined a group of five men from various countries, including Cambodia, Cuba, Jamaica, Vietnam, and Yemen, who were sent to the small Southern African nation in July. All were placed in a maximum-security prison. Rom himself was later deported from Eswatini to Cambodia in March.<\/p>\n
The US authorities categorized these men as dangerous offenders, although their lawyers argued that they had already completed their sentences for their crimes committed in the United States.<\/p>\n
Rom had served a 15-year prison term in the US after accepting a plea agreement on four counts of attempted murder. Following his sentencing, he was informed of his impending deportation to Cambodia, a move he stated he would have accepted.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegardless of a criminal record, everyone is entitled to due process. If our rights can be disregarded, then anyone’s rights are at risk,\u201d remarked Rom, who arrived in the US as a refugee in 1985 at the age of three. \u201cI acknowledge my deportation order and am accepting of it, provided I am returned to the correct country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI may be free now, but I want to highlight that others are still imprisoned in a foreign land,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
During Donald Trump\u2019s presidency, numerous individuals were deported to countries they did not originate from. Countries in Africa that have entered into deportation agreements include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.<\/p>\n
After being released from prison, Rom revealed that he had spent nearly 11 months in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. He had anticipated being sent to Cambodia, a country he had never visited, as he was born in a Thai refugee camp.<\/p>\n
Rom\u2019s experience sheds light on the expulsion process from the US to third-party countries. He claimed he had no chance to consult with an attorney after learning of his deportation to Eswatini, and his attempts to raise objections were ignored. He recounted being told to \u201cpack your belongings and leave.\u201d The ten deported men were shackled and tightly confined in the back of a plane for a 21-hour journey.<\/p>\n
According to Rom, the flight crew indicated that the men would be released upon arrival in Eswatini, a landlocked nation with a population of 1.3 million, bordered by South Africa and Mozambique. However, upon arrival, they were met by armed military personnel and taken directly to the Matsapha correctional complex, a high-security prison.<\/p>\n
The US Department of Homeland Security did not provide an immediate response to inquiries. In a previous statement regarding the initial group of five men sent to Eswatini, a spokesperson asserted, \u201cIf individuals enter our country unlawfully and violate our laws, they will be removed\u2026 These deportees are convicted criminals, including murderers, pedophiles, and gang members.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rom shared that the men received only a roll of toilet paper and a bar of soap each week. Initially, they had to share clothing, as some had only the garments they wore upon arrival. He noted that they were limited to 15 minutes of outdoor time each day and allowed one phone call weekly, while a local attorney was denied access to them.<\/p>\n
Rom observed that the mental health of those fearing return due to human rights issues or complex political relations with their home countries deteriorated significantly, with one individual even going on a hunger strike for 30 days. \u201cIt was driving them to despair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the detainees were granted more privileges, including the use of mobile phones, extended outdoor time, and weekly shopping trips.<\/p>\n
Rom was deported to Cambodia on March 26, six months after fellow deportee Orville Etoria was sent back to Jamaica. Both the Jamaican and Cambodian governments indicated they would have accepted their citizens directly from the US.<\/p>\n
In March, Eswatini reported the deportation of four additional individuals from the US, including one from Tanzania, one from Sudan, and two from Somalia.<\/p>\n
Thabile Mdluli, a spokesperson for the Eswatini government, which received $5.1 million from the US to accommodate up to 160 deportees, stated, \u201cThe Kingdom of Eswatini has made all reasonable efforts, in line with national laws and international obligations, to ensure that third-country nationals received from the US are treated with respect for their fundamental rights and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n A Cambodian man who was deported from the United States has expressed that he would have accepted being sent to Cambodia, but instead found himself in a prison in Eswatini, a nation he was unfamiliar with, mistakenly believing it to be another detention facility in Louisiana. Pheap Rom, who had faced charges of attempted murder, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[639,1071,1070,1069,124,88,580,219,571],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-africa","category-uk-cambodia","category-uk-eswatini","category-uk-ice-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement","category-uk-trump-administration","category-uk","category-uk-us-news","category-uk-us-politics","category-uk-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n