The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to restart the deportation of migrants to third countries, not just their home nations. This new decision overturned a lower court ruling that had stopped such removals.
In a 6-3 ruling, the Court said the US government does not need to give migrants a chance to explain the dangers they might face in a third country before deporting them. The three liberal justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—strongly disagreed, calling the decision “a gross abuse” of justice.
The case involved eight migrants from countries like Myanmar, South Sudan, Cuba, Mexico, Laos, and Vietnam. They were reportedly flown to South Sudan in May. The Trump administration claimed these individuals were “the worst of the worst,” involved in serious crimes like murder and robbery.
However, lawyers for the migrants said that some had no criminal records at all. They argued the group should have been allowed to explain the risks they faced in third countries, such as torture or death.
What did the lower court say?
Earlier this year, Judge Brian Murphy in Boston had ruled that migrants must be given a fair chance to share their fears about being deported to a third country. But the Supreme Court overturned this, allowing the deportations to continue.
Justice Sotomayor criticized the ruling, writing that it shows the court finds it acceptable to risk violence and suffering in far-off countries just to avoid giving migrants a fair hearing.
Despite the concerns, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) celebrated the decision. Its spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, “Fire up the deportation planes.” The DHS called it a win for “the safety and security of the American people.”
The National Immigration Litigation Alliance, which represents the migrants, called the court’s decision “horrifying.” Its leader, Trina Realmuto, said the ruling could lead to “torture and death” for their clients.
The US government had kept the migrants in Djibouti, near a US military base, during the legal battle. The US Solicitor General, John Sauer, said deporting these migrants to their home countries wasn’t possible because those countries refused to take them back. This, he argued, forced the US to find other options.
This latest ruling follows other recent Supreme Court decisions in favour of Trump’s immigration goals. Just last month, the court allowed Trump to end protections for 350,000 Venezuelan migrants and to pause a humanitarian program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.