US Deportations to South Sudan Spark Court Concerns

A US federal judge has warned that the deportation of migrants to South Sudan may breach a court order, potentially constituting contempt of court. Immigration attorneys reported that a flight carrying a dozen people, including citizens of Myanmar and Vietnam, had landed in South Sudan. The judge ordered that the migrants be treated humanely and remain in government custody pending a hearing, but did not order the plane to return to the US. The deportations are the latest clash between the Trump administration and the federal courts over mass deportations.

Lawyers for Vietnamese and Burmese migrants allege that the Trump administration deported their clients to South Sudan in violation of a court order that requires prior written notice and a chance to contest removal to a third country. At least a dozen migrants were deported, with some not receiving proper notice or an opportunity to contest their deportation. The lawyers are asking the court to order their return and block further deportations to third countries unless they comply with the previous court order. The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly confirmed the deportations, and the US has issued a "do not travel" advisory to South Sudan due to ongoing armed conflict.

A federal judge in Boston ordered the Trump administration to keep migrants on a deportation flight in U.S. custody amid claims they were being sent to South Sudan, a country the State Department advises against traveling to. Immigration lawyers said at least two migrants were told they would be deported to South Sudan, but a government lawyer later said one of them, a Burmese man, was actually deported to Myanmar. The judge expressed concerns that the administration may have violated his previous order not to deport immigrants to countries where they may face danger without giving them adequate due process, warning that officials involved could face criminal sanctions for contempt. The administration claimed the final destination of the flight was classified, but the judge remained skeptical, scheduling a hearing for the next day to determine the fate of the migrants.