South Sudan repatriates Mexican national deported by US after serving life sentence
According to South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez was flown to Mexico on Saturday after being handed over to Mexican ambassador Alejandro Ives Estivill in Juba.
South Sudan has repatriated a Mexican national to his home country after the United States deported him to Juba in July, officials have confirmed.
According to South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez was flown to Mexico on Saturday after being handed over to Mexican ambassador Alejandro Ives Estivill in Juba.
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Officials said the repatriation was conducted without incident and in line with international agreements.
Munoz-Gutierrez was among eight men expelled from the US to Juba on July 5 after lengthy court battles. The US Department of Homeland Security said he had been convicted of second-degree murder and was serving a life sentence before his deportation.
Of the eight men, only one was a South Sudanese national. The rest were sent to Juba under disputed arrangements. Authorities are now in talks to repatriate the six who remain in custody.
In a statement, South Sudan thanked Mexico for its cooperation and said it had received assurances that Munoz-Gutierrez would not face mistreatment or unfair prosecution upon arrival. Officials also stressed that while in detention in Juba, he was treated humanely and his rights were respected.
Speaking to journalists before his repatriation, Munoz-Gutierrez expressed frustration at being sent to South Sudan in the first place.
"I was not planning to come to South Sudan, but while I was here, they treated me well. I finished my time in the United States, and they were supposed to return me to Mexico. Instead, they wrongfully sent me to South Sudan," he said, according to Al Jazeera.
Human rights groups argue that Washington’s practice of sending deportees to third countries violates international protections for migrants. Although US courts have challenged the policy, the Supreme Court in June allowed the government to resume such transfers.
Recent deportees from the US have also been received in Uganda, Eswatini, and Rwanda, with both Eswatini and Rwanda confirming new arrivals in the past two months.
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