A federal judge has temporarily halted the deportations of eight immigrants to the conflict-ridden nation of South Sudan. This development comes just hours after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to proceed with deporting these individuals to a country where few of them have any connections. On Thursday, the Supreme Court affirmed that U.S. immigration officials have the authority to deport individuals to countries to which they have no ties.
In a remarkable Fourth of July hearing on Friday afternoon, District Judge Randolph Moss decided to transfer the case from Washington, D.C., to another judge in Boston. Judge Moss determined that Judge Brian Murphy was better suited to handle the complexities of this case, as his previous rulings had initially halted the Trump administration's efforts to deport individuals to South Sudan.
Judge Moss extended his order to halt the deportations until 4:30 PM Eastern Time, though it remained uncertain if Judge Murphy would take any actions during the federal holiday to further restrict the removal process. Moss acknowledged that new claims presented by the immigrants' lawyers warranted a hearing.
The eight men facing deportation hail from various countries, including Vietnam, South Korea, Mexico, Laos, Cuba, and Myanmar, with only one individual originating from South Sudan. All of them have been convicted of serious crimes, a point the Trump administration has highlighted to justify their deportation. Many of these individuals have either completed their prison sentences or are nearing the end of their incarceration, with orders of removal already directing them to leave the United States.
Lawyers representing the immigrants have raised alarms about the potential dangers they could face upon returning to South Sudan. The country is currently embroiled in a civil war, and the U.S. government has issued travel advisories stating that no one should visit South Sudan without making their own funeral arrangements.
The Trump administration has been attempting to deport these immigrants for several weeks. They were transported to a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, but further actions were stalled due to Judge Murphy's earlier ruling, which mandated that no immigrant could be sent to a new country without first having their case heard in court. Following the Supreme Court's decision to vacate that ruling last month, a new order was issued on Thursday night, clarifying that the immigrants could indeed be moved to South Sudan.
In response, the immigrants' legal team filed an emergency request to stop their deportation later that evening. The case was assigned to Judge Moss, who temporarily barred the administration from transferring the immigrants from Djibouti to South Sudan until the afternoon hearing was completed. He further extended this stay after sending the case to Judge Murphy, while the administration had anticipated deporting the immigrants to South Sudan as early as Friday.
