A federal judge has warned that US deportations to South Sudan may violate a standing court order. The case adds to ongoing legal battles between President Trump’s administration and the judiciary.
Judge Brian Murphy, based in Boston, expressed concern on Tuesday about a flight carrying migrants to South Sudan. He said it might breach his April injunction requiring the US to offer migrants a fair chance to challenge deportations to third countries.
Attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance filed an emergency request to stop further removals. They said the recent deportation flight included migrants from Myanmar, Vietnam, and other nations.
Judge Murphy, a Biden appointee, told a Department of Justice lawyer that the situation “seems like it may be contempt.” He insisted the migrants must remain in US government custody and receive humane treatment while awaiting a hearing.
One deportee, a Burmese national referred to as N.M., had refused to sign a removal notice. His lawyer later discovered he had already been deported, allegedly to South Sudan. An email from detention officials confirmed that destination.
The Vietnamese migrant, named only as T.T.P., also vanished from ICE records. His spouse contacted attorneys and reported that others on the flight included nationals from Laos, Pakistan, Mexico, and Thailand.
The justice department insisted one migrant was returned to Myanmar, not South Sudan. The deportation destination of another man, convicted of murder, was kept classified. The Department of Homeland Security also confirmed a rapist was on the plane.
Though Judge Murphy did not order the plane to return, he suggested it be kept on the ground after landing. His earlier ruling prohibited deportations without giving migrants time to legally respond, especially if being sent to non-native countries.
US deportations to South Sudan now represent a growing constitutional crisis. Multiple courts have begun challenging the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration stance. Another judge, James Boasberg in Washington DC, recently accused officials of ignoring his order to halt deportations of Venezuelans.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, remains unstable. A US travel advisory urges citizens not to go there due to widespread violence, kidnapping, and armed conflict.
The Trump administration has reportedly reached out to several other nations, including Rwanda, Angola, and Benin, for possible deportation agreements. However, the legality of such moves faces mounting opposition.
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