Charles Ellicott Commentary Deuteronomy 23:15-16

"Thou shalt not deliver unto his master a servant that is escaped from his master unto thee: he shall dwell with thee, in the midst of thee, in the place which he shall choose within one of thy gates, where it pleaseth him best: thou shalt not oppress him." — Deuteronomy 23:15-16 (ASV)

Deuteronomy 23:15–16 — REFUGEES.

Thou shalt not deliver ... the servant. —Even on Israelite ground the escaped slave was free. Rashi adds, “Even a Canaanite slave who has escaped from abroad into the land of Israel.”