Legal representatives report that recent deportations included individuals from Myanmar and Vietnam, raising concerns over safety and legality.
US Deports Asian Migrants to Conflict-Ridden South Sudan, Sparking Legal Challenges
US Deports Asian Migrants to Conflict-Ridden South Sudan, Sparking Legal Challenges
Immigration lawyers claim the US government has violated court orders by deporting migrants without proper legal recourse.
The Trump administration has come under legal fire after immigration lawyers revealed that two Asian migrants were forcibly deported to South Sudan, a nation marked by extreme poverty and ongoing conflicts. In a recent submission to a federal judge in Boston, attorneys stated that a flight with various individuals, including citizens from Myanmar and Vietnam, landed in the troubled African country on Tuesday.
The attorneys contend that these deportations violate a previous court ruling that prohibits the government from expelling migrants to third countries without granting them a "meaningful opportunity" to contest their removals. The Legal team from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance urgently requested an emergency order from the federal judge to halt further deportations. Judge Brian Murphy, appointed by President Biden, had previously mandated on April 18 that illegal migrants must be allowed to defend against removals to countries outside their own.
Following concerns that certain deportees might be sent to Libya, Judge Murphy stressed that such actions would breach his court ruling. In a recognizable incident on the morning of the deportation, an attorney realized that her client from Myanmar had disappeared from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator, leading to a confirmation that he had been sent to South Sudan, as stated in a court filing.
The same lawyer indicated that her client, who is limited in English proficiency, had previously refused to sign the removal notice at the Texas immigration detention center. The attorneys also noted that another deportee, a Vietnamese man, shared a similar fate and was reportedly on the same flight. The spouse of the Vietnamese man reached out in distress, revealing that a total of around ten migrants, including nationals from Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, and Mexico, were also believed to have been deported.
Despite the dangers outlined in the US government’s travel advisory against visiting South Sudan—a country rife with crime, kidnappings, and armed conflicts—these fatalities occurred. The condition is alarming as South Sudan, born from a precarious independence in 2011, has continued suffering from civil strife and instability.
This troubling situation raises pressing questions surrounding the legality, ethics, and safety of recent deportations spearheaded by the US government amidst conflicting national and international laws.
The attorneys contend that these deportations violate a previous court ruling that prohibits the government from expelling migrants to third countries without granting them a "meaningful opportunity" to contest their removals. The Legal team from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance urgently requested an emergency order from the federal judge to halt further deportations. Judge Brian Murphy, appointed by President Biden, had previously mandated on April 18 that illegal migrants must be allowed to defend against removals to countries outside their own.
Following concerns that certain deportees might be sent to Libya, Judge Murphy stressed that such actions would breach his court ruling. In a recognizable incident on the morning of the deportation, an attorney realized that her client from Myanmar had disappeared from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator, leading to a confirmation that he had been sent to South Sudan, as stated in a court filing.
The same lawyer indicated that her client, who is limited in English proficiency, had previously refused to sign the removal notice at the Texas immigration detention center. The attorneys also noted that another deportee, a Vietnamese man, shared a similar fate and was reportedly on the same flight. The spouse of the Vietnamese man reached out in distress, revealing that a total of around ten migrants, including nationals from Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, and Mexico, were also believed to have been deported.
Despite the dangers outlined in the US government’s travel advisory against visiting South Sudan—a country rife with crime, kidnappings, and armed conflicts—these fatalities occurred. The condition is alarming as South Sudan, born from a precarious independence in 2011, has continued suffering from civil strife and instability.
This troubling situation raises pressing questions surrounding the legality, ethics, and safety of recent deportations spearheaded by the US government amidst conflicting national and international laws.
