A federal judge in Massachusetts has ruled that the Trump administration violated his court order to not deport migrants to countries where they have no ties without providing them with sufficient due process. The Department of Homeland Security removed eight migrants abroad, despite the court’s preliminary injunction, which was issued after immigration lawyers filed an emergency motion on behalf of a Vietnamese client who received little notice before being put on a plane to South Sudan.
Judge Brian Murphy said that the department’s actions in this case are “unquestionably violative” of his order and that it is impossible for the individuals to have had a meaningful opportunity to object to their removal. The judge left open the possibility of holding the government in contempt for future criminal obstruction.
The Trump administration has aimed to use third-country destinations to remove individuals who cannot be sent back to their home countries due to various reasons. However, South Sudan has pushed back against being a third country, stating that it will not accept migrants unless they are South Sudanese nationals.
This ruling comes after the government had doubled down on its decision to send migrants to countries that aren’t their own, despite previous court orders. The State Department did not immediately respond to questions about where recent planes full of migrants were sent and what their ultimate destination was.
The judge’s clarification on the initial preliminary injunction defines how much notice is enough before removal, with 24 hours’ notice being deemed insufficient in this case. The plaintiffs’ lawyers argued that 30 days was enough notice, while the Justice Department maintains that 24 hours is sufficient.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/21/nx-s1-5406208/trump-administration-defends-flight-of-migrants-to-third-countries