(CNN) — The Trump administration informed Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Friday that it now plans to deport him to the tiny African nation of Eswatini, as he continues to fight efforts to re-deport him.
In an email to the Maryland man, which was obtained by CNN, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said that given Abrego Garcia’s concerns about being deported to several other countries, they now seek to remove him to Eswatini. The Department of Homeland Security previously notified Abrego Garcia of plans to deport him to Uganda, but he objected to the removal, citing fears of being persecuted or tortured.
“That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries,” read the email, which listed the countries, including his home country of El Salvador, where he spent weeks in a notorious mega prison earlier this year after he was mistakenly deported.
“Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa,” the email added.
An ICE official confirmed that Abrego Garcia will be deported to Eswatini, telling CNN, “TRUE: An immigration judge ordered him removed and ICE will comply with that order.”
Abrego Garcia is currently in ICE custody after being brought back to the US to face human smuggling charges, but the Trump administration is trying to quickly deport him again, even before the trial concludes.
Last week, the federal judge overseeing Abrego Garcia’s case ruled that he cannot be deported until at least early October, after Trump administration officials are expected to testify about the government’s efforts to re-deport him.
Abrego Garcia has said he prefers to be sent to Costa Rica, a country that has said it would be willing to give him some form of legal status should he be sent there.
The administration previously offered to eventually deport Abrego Garcia to Costa Rica in exchange for a guilty plea, his lawyers told the judge overseeing his human trafficking case last month. However, Abrego Garcia did not accept the offer, according to a source familiar with his case.
Eswatini — formerly known as Swaziland — is located in Southeast Africa and is roughly the size of New Jersey. Governed by a monarch who has absolute power, Eswatini is one of four African countries that have struck a deal with the Trump administration to receive foreign deportees, along with Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda.
Abrego Garcia is also separately seeking to renew his bid for asylum, a process that will play out before an immigration judge within the Justice Department.
CNN’s Devan Cole contributed to this report.
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