Vietnamese man held in South Sudan for over a year returns to Vietnam after deportation
Jun 19, 2026·Location: Juba, SS
Country of origin: Vietnam

Tuan Phan, a 44-year-old Vietnamese national, was deported to South Sudan in July 2025 by the Trump administration under a third-country deportation program. Phan had immigrated to the U.S. as a child, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2000 for a gang-related killing, and was taken into ICE custody upon completing his sentence in March 2025. A federal judge initially blocked his deportation, but the Supreme Court later approved it. Phan was held in a gated, armed compound in Juba for over a year alongside seven other men with criminal convictions. He was repatriated to Vietnam on June 19, 2026, becoming the second person from the group to be returned to his home country.
Timeline
Sources
- Vietnamese man deported from US to South Sudan is repatriated after months in detention
thestar.com.my·Jun 20, 2026·archived copy
- Vietnamese man deported from U.S. to South Sudan is repatriated after months in detention
halifax.citynews.ca·Jun 19, 2026·archived copy
- Vietnamese man deported to South Sudan under Trump program returns home
independent.co.uk·Jun 19, 2026·archived copy
ca.news.yahoo.com·Jun 19, 2026·archived copy
- Vietnamese man deported by US to South Sudan returns home after nearly a year - Africa Business Insight
africabusinessinsight.com·Jun 19, 2026·archived copy
- Vietnamese man deported from U.S. to South Sudan returns home after year in limbo
- Why Was A Vietnamese Man Sent To South Sudan Before Returning Home
tippinsights.com·Jun 19, 2026·archived copy
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