Court Backs Trump in Controversial Migrant Deportation To South Sudan

The United States Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s move to deport eight migrants currently stranded at a U.S. military base in Djibouti to South Sudan, despite concerns over their safety in the conflict-ridden country.

The decision, delivered on Thursday by the conservative-leaning court, follows its earlier ruling that gave the administration broad powers to deport migrants to third countries—even those that are not their home nations. The latest case stems from a May deportation flight that was redirected to Djibouti after a lower court blocked the removal.

The migrants—two from Myanmar, two from Cuba, and one each from Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, and South Sudan—were en route to South Sudan when District Judge Brian Murphy issued a stay on third-country deportations, citing the lack of a “meaningful opportunity” for the migrants to contest their removal.

Although the Supreme Court lifted the general stay on June 23, Judge Murphy, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, insisted that his separate order regarding the eight men in Djibouti still stood and had not been specifically addressed by the top court.

Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented strongly, raising alarm about the human rights implications of the decision.

“What the Government wants to do, concretely, is send the eight noncitizens it illegally removed from the United States from Djibouti to South Sudan, where they will be turned over to the local authorities without regard for the likelihood that they will face torture or death,” Justice Sotomayor said.

“Today’s order clarifies only one thing: Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial,” she added.

U.S. officials have argued that the eight men are convicted violent offenders, and say third-country deportations are a necessary tool, especially when home countries refuse to receive their nationals.

Former President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January, has resumed his hardline immigration policies, including promises to remove millions of undocumented migrants. The Supreme Court’s latest decision marks another victory in his ongoing push to enforce stricter deportation measures.