Washington, DC – The United States has deported eight individuals to South Sudan following a protracted legal battle that saw them temporarily diverted to Djibouti for several weeks. The men, who had been convicted of various crimes including murder, sexual assault, and robbery, had either completed or were nearing the end of their prison sentences in the US.
Only one of the eight individuals is a national of South Sudan; the others hold nationalities from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and Mexico. US officials stated that most of their home countries had refused to accept them.
The Trump administration is actively seeking to expand its policy of deporting individuals to third countries. Previously, people have been deported to El Salvador and Costa Rica. Rwanda has confirmed it is in discussions regarding such arrangements, while Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, and Moldova have been named in media reports as potential recipient nations.
A photograph provided by the Department of Homeland Security to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, showed the men on a plane with their hands and feet shackled.
US officials did not specify whether the South Sudanese government had detained the individuals upon arrival or what their fate would be. South Sudan remains an unstable nation, bordering on civil war, with the US State Department advising against travel due to “crime, kidnapping and armed conflict.”
The eight individuals were initially flown out of the US in May, but their plane was diverted to Djibouti after US district judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the deportation. Judge Murphy had ruled that migrants being deported to third countries must be provided with notice and an opportunity to speak with an asylum officer.
However, the Supreme Court last week sided with the Trump administration, overturning Judge Murphy’s ruling. On Thursday, the Supreme Court confirmed that Judge Murphy could no longer impose requirements for due process hearings, thereby allowing the deportations to proceed. Subsequent attempts by lawyers to seek intervention from another judge were unsuccessful, as it was ruled that only Judge Murphy had jurisdiction. Judge Murphy then stated he had no authority to halt the removals due to the Supreme Court’s “binding” decision.
Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security described the South Sudan deportation as a victory over “activist judges.”
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had revoked all visas for South Sudanese passport holders, citing the country’s past refusal to accept deported nationals.
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