Supreme Court Backs Trump, Lets Him Deport Migrants Rejected By Their Home Countries

Last Updated:June 24, 2025, 22:55 IST

The case drew attention after eight criminal migrants were stopped mid-deportation to South Sudan.

The Supreme Court's ruling follows a standoff over a deportation flight involving high-risk migrants, handing Donald Trump a lifeline over the issue of deporting hardened criminals. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

The US Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump another legal victory on Monday, allowing his administration to deport undocumented immigrants to third countries, especially if their home nations refuse to take them back.

In an unsigned order, the justices set aside lower court rulings that had restricted such deportations, giving Trump more leeway in dealing with some of the most difficult deportation cases.

The case is still ongoing, but the court’s order means the earlier rulings will not apply for now.

The three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the court’s intervention a “gross abuse" of judicial power and warned that some deportees could face torture or death. “In matters of life and death, it is best to proceed with caution," she wrote.

The case centers on migrants who have been ordered to leave the US but whose home countries are unwilling to receive them. Under American law, such individuals can instead be sent to a “third country" if one agrees to accept them.

The migrants for whom this case grabbed attention are a group of eight men. These eight men are convicted of serious crimes including murder, kidnapping and sexual assault. The Trump administration attempted to deport them to South Sudan last month after their home countries had refused to take them back.

The effort sparked legal backlash when Judge Brian Murphy, an Obama appointee to the court in Massachusetts, halted the flight mid-journey, arguing the deportees had not been given a fair chance to contest their removal.

“Based on what I have learned, I don’t see how anybody could say these individuals had a meaningful opportunity to object," he said, according to the Washington Times.

The plane was diverted to a US military base in Djibouti, where the men are currently being held in a shipping container turned makeshift detention unit. Homeland Security says it is still trying to provide them with a chance to appeal their deportation to South Sudan. South Sudan is a country the US itself warns its citizens against visiting due to instability.

Among the group are Cuban nationals convicted of attempted murder and kidnapping, a Laotian man convicted of murder, two Burmese nationals found guilty of sex crimes and others from Mexico, Vietnam and South Sudan with similarly grave convictions.

Trump’s legal team has accused the judge of overreach, saying his ruling endangered US military operations, diplomatic ties in Africa and ongoing humanitarian efforts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the judge’s intervention compromised secretive negotiations with partner nations. Despite the Supreme Court siding with Trump, Judge Murphy ruled Monday that the men in Djibouti must still be granted due process.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...

Read More

Location :

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published:

News world Supreme Court Backs Trump, Lets Him Deport Migrants Rejected By Their Home Countries