Trump administration backs down in illegal South Sudan deportation effort – for now

Djibouti City, Djibouti - People deported from the US to South Sudan – in direct violation of a court ruling – will be held for now in Djibouti, President Donald Trump's administration conceded Thursday.

Eight migrants sent to South Sudan by the Trump administration, in direct violation of a court order, are being held in Djibouti, which hosts a US military base.
Eight migrants sent to South Sudan by the Trump administration, in direct violation of a court order, are being held in Djibouti, which hosts a US military base.  © PEDRO UGARTE / AFP

The Trump administration claims it expelled the eight migrants from a range of nations due to their past convictions for violent crimes.

They were put on a flight Tuesday bound for South Sudan instead of their nations of origin, who did not accept their return.

All eight men are currently detained by the Department of Homeland Security in Djibouti, where the US has a major military base.

Trump White House quietly scrubs its website of president's transcripts
Donald Trump Trump White House quietly scrubs its website of president's transcripts

US District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston ruled Wednesday evening that the Trump administration had violated one of his previous orders, calling the timeframe given for the migrants to contest their expulsions to South Sudan "plainly insufficient."

South Sudan, an impoverished nation which has long grappled with insecurity and political instability, has an advisory against travel from the US State Department.

In his ruling, Murphy said that migrants had to receive greater notice and at least 10 days to appeal the decision, as required by the UN Convention Against Torture.

He also ruled that six of the migrants were entitled to invoke, with the aid of a lawyer, their "fear" of torture or ill-treatment in the third country.

And if the Department of Homeland Security deemed the fear unfounded, it still needed to grant at least 15 days to appeal the expulsion procedure.

Trump rages at judge's ruling

Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Thursday to decry Murphy's order, saying he "has ordered that EIGHT of the most violent criminals on Earth curtail their journey to South Sudan, and instead remain in Djibouti."

"He would not allow these monsters to proceed to their final destination," he railed, claiming that the courts are "absolutely out of control."

The White House identified the eight men as two citizens of Myanmar, two Cubans, a Vietnamese man, a Laotian, a Mexican, and a South Sudanese citizen.

Lawyers for the Vietnamese national and one citizen of Myanmar said in court filings that their clients only learned the night before or on Tuesday, when the flight left.

Cover photo: PEDRO UGARTE / AFP

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