Trump admin’s South Sudan deportation bid violates court order, US judge says
The men from Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Mexico, Cuba and South Sudan were convicted of murder, armed robbery and other crimes, US officials say
An attempt by US President Donald Trump’s administration to transfer migrants to South Sudan violated a judicial order not to send deportees to countries other than their own without opportunity to contest their removal, a US judge said on Wednesday.
Boston-based US District Judge Brian Murphy made the finding during a hearing one day after he issued an order that the administration not let a group of migrants being flown to South Sudan to leave the custody of US immigration authorities.
Murphy said he would leave the question of any criminal penalties for Department of Homeland Security officials who violated his order to another day.
At the outset of the hearing, US Justice Department lawyer Elainis Perez confirmed that the plane carrying the deportees had landed but did not say where, citing “very serious operational and safety concerns”.
Perez also disputed Murphy’s finding that the migrants were not given the chance to challenge their deportations.
Earlier on Wednesday, Homeland Security officials said at a press conference that the eight men being deported are from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan, and were convicted of murder, armed robbery and other serious crimes.