Following a protracted legal struggle, the US deported eight men, including one South Sudanese national, to South Sudan after a Supreme Court decision allowed the deportation process to continue despite earlier judicial opposition.
US Deports Eight Convicted Criminals to South Sudan Amid Legal Controversy
US Deports Eight Convicted Criminals to South Sudan Amid Legal Controversy
Eight deported men, including nationals from various countries, face uncertain futures in South Sudan after lengthy legal battles and Supreme Court rulings.
The United States has carried out the deportation of eight individuals to South Sudan, marking the culmination of a contentious legal process. The eight men, shackled and escorted by US service members, were onboard a flight that had earlier been diverted to Djibouti due to a temporary ruling from a federal judge in Massachusetts, which paused their deportation to allow for due process.
These men had faced criminal convictions, including serious offenses such as murder, sexual assault, and robbery. Of the group, only one is originally from South Sudan, while the others hold nationalities from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and Mexico. US officials reported that most of the men's home countries declined to accept them back, complicating their deportation process further.
As part of the broader agenda, the Trump administration has been seeking to increase deportations to third countries, having previously sent deportees to nations such as El Salvador and Costa Rica. Recent discussions have also identified Rwanda, Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, and Moldova as possible future destinations for deportees.
The situation in South Sudan presents a precarious backdrop for the deportees; the nation has struggled with instability and a risk of civil war, prompting US State Department warnings regarding travel due to rampant crime and armed conflict.
Initially set to leave the US in May, the men's deportation was interrupted by Judge Brian Murphy's ruling which stated that non-citizen deportees must receive notice and an opportunity to communicate with asylum officers. However, the Supreme Court's recent decision overturned this ruling, paving the way for their deportation without the required due process.
Following the high court’s decision, additional legal attempts were raised to halt the removals, but jurisdictional constraints led to Judge Murphy ruling that he could not intervene further. Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security heralded the deportation as a triumph against what she termed “activist judges.” Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also revoked visas for South Sudanese passport holders, a step contextualizing the country’s prior refusals to accept deported nationals.
