US Deports Eight Convicted Criminals to South Sudan Amid Legal Controversies

The recent deportation of eight men from the US to South Sudan highlights ongoing tensions in immigration policy, especially regarding third-country deportations amidst legal challenges.

The Trump administration has executed a contentious deportation of eight individuals to South Sudan after a protracted legal struggle that saw their flight diverted to Djibouti. These men, either nearing the end of their prison sentences or having completed them, were convicted of serious offenses including murder, sexual assault, and robbery. While only one of the eight is originally from South Sudan, the others hail from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and Mexico. US officials reported that most of these nations had declined to accept the deportees, leading to this unprecedented action.

Documented evidence revealed the men shackled on a plane, accompanied by US service members, as they were sent to a nation that remains in a precarious state of conflict. The US State Department has highlighted the dangers of traveling to South Sudan due to ongoing crime, kidnappings, and civil unrest, casting uncertainty over the fate of those deported.

The legal saga began in May when a US District Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts halted their removal, stipulating that deported migrants be given adequate notice and an opportunity to speak with asylum officials. However, the Supreme Court later sided with the Trump administration, overturning Murphy’s decision and eliminating the necessary due process hearings that could have protected the individuals from deportation.

Despite subsequent attempts by defense attorneys to seek intervention from another judge, the ruling from the Supreme Court limited judicial authority, leading to the swift deportation. Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security has characterized this deportation as a triumph against "activist judges." Earlier in the year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced an end to all visas for South Sudanese passport holders due to South Sudan's historical resistance to repatriate deported nationals, bringing further complexities to immigration and international law.