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 said the claims were 'hard to take seriously' but the US would 'nonetheless' agree not to send him there.
This is at least the fourth country mentioned as a possible destination for the 30-year-old, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, only to return to face criminal charges.
US officials acknowledged at the time that he was removed in error. In June, he was brought back to the US, where he was detained and charged with human smuggling, to which he pleaded not guilty. Trump officials claim that he is a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation he also denies.
His deportation case has become a focal point in the administration's crackdown on immigration. Notably, Mr Ábrego García has no connection to Eswatini.
Formerly known as Swaziland, Eswatini is a small nation bordered by South Africa and Mozambique and is one of the last absolute monarchies in the world, led by King Mswati III since 1986.
The US has already deported five people to Eswatini, labeling them as 'criminal illegal aliens'. This has sparked concern that Eswatini is becoming a dumping ground for criminals.
It remains unconfirmed whether Eswatini receives any payments for the deportation deal with the Trump administration, but analysts suggest that maintaining favorable trade relations with the US might be a factor in this decision.
Mr Ábrego García entered the US illegally as a teenager from El Salvador and was arrested in 2019 in Maryland alongside three other men, subsequently detained by federal immigration authorities.
