U.S. Court Clears Path for Deportation of Eight Migrants to South Sudan

The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday issued a ruling that cleared the way for the deportation of eight men to South Sudan, overriding earlier court decisions that had delayed their removal for weeks.

The deportees, convicted of crimes such as murder, sexual assault, and robbery, had either completed or were near the end of their prison sentences. Only one of the men is a South Sudanese national. The others are from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, and possibly South Korea. U.S. officials said their home countries had refused to accept them, prompting the transfer to South Sudan.

A photo released by the Department of Homeland Security showed the men shackled on board a flight. Their journey had been delayed since May, when District Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts blocked the deportation, ruling that migrants being removed to third countries must be given notice and an opportunity to speak with an asylum officer.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court overturned Murphy’s order. The clarification stated that Murphy could no longer require due process hearings, effectively removing the legal barrier to the deportations.

Lawyers for the migrants filed a final emergency appeal in Washington late Thursday night. District Judge Randolph Moss briefly paused the deportations on Friday afternoon, but ultimately referred the case back to Murphy. That evening, Murphy issued a ruling saying, “This Court interprets these Supreme Court orders as binding on this new petition, as Petitioners are now raising substantially similar claims, and therefore Petitioners’ motion is denied.”

The Department of Justice confirmed the men were scheduled to be deported Friday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. They were flown from a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, where they had been held during the weeks-long legal dispute.

Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security described the deportation as a victory over “activist judges.”

The Trump administration has emphasized the men’s criminal records in defending the removals. Many had “orders of removal” already in place. A lawyer representing the group warned they could face danger upon arrival in South Sudan, where the U.S. government advises against travel due to “crime, kidnapping and armed conflict.”

Jennie Pasquarella, an attorney with the Seattle Clemency Project, said, “Both courts’ decisions today have denied them their opportunity to have these claims heard and to protect their own lives. That is what is so tragic about where we came out.”

Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked all U.S. visas for South Sudanese passport holders, citing the country’s past refusal to accept deported nationals.

The deportation is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand removals to third countries. Migrants have previously been sent to El Salvador and Costa Rica. Rwanda has confirmed ongoing discussions, and Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, and Moldova have been named in the press as potential partners.