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 that his claims were hard to take seriously but the US would nonetheless agree not to send him there.
This is at least the fourth country suggested as a potential destination for the 30-year-old. He was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, and then returned to the US to face criminal charges.
US officials admitted that he was removed in error. In June, he was brought back to the US where he was detained and charged with human smuggling. He has pleaded not guilty.
Trump officials claim that he is a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation he denies.
This deportation case has become a focal point in the administration's crackdown on immigration. Mr Ábrego García has no known ties to Eswatini.
Previously known as Swaziland, Eswatini is bordered by South Africa and Mozambique and remains one of the last absolute monarchies, ruled by King Mswati III since 1986.
The US has already deported five individuals to Eswatini, labeling them as criminal illegal aliens. This move has raised concerns about the country becoming a dumping ground for criminals.
While Eswatini has not confirmed any financial arrangements for the deportation deal with the Trump administration, analysts suggest it might be seeking to preserve its significant trade relationship with the US, particularly regarding sugar exports.
Mr Ábrego García entered the US illegally as a teenager from El Salvador. In 2019, he was arrested along with three others in Maryland and subsequently detained by federal immigration authorities.
