Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

US to deport migrants to South Sudan, most with no ties to country

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 4 Jul 2025 10:34
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to deport eight detainees from a US base in Djibouti to South Sudan, overriding lower court protections.

Listen
  • x
  • US to deport men to South Sudan, most with no ties to country
    People deported from the United States disembark from a repatriation flight, during a Department of Homeland Security operations tour for visiting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, Thursday, June 26, 2025 (AP)

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to deport eight men held at a US military base in Djibouti to South Sudan, despite the fact that only one of the detainees is originally from the country. The decision marks a controversial application of US immigration law, allowing deportations to third countries with which detainees have little or no connection.

The ruling follows a broader decision by the Court’s conservative majority permitting the US government to remove individuals to third-party nations, even when those individuals face potential risks and lack personal, familial, or cultural ties to the destination country. The lower court's injunction had required officials to give detainees the opportunity to demonstrate a “reasonable fear” of torture, persecution, or death before such removals could proceed. That safeguard has now been bypassed.

Legal, humanitarian backlash

Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance and attorney for the detainees, condemned the move, warning that the men could face immediate detention or danger upon arrival in South Sudan. “They face perilous conditions,” she said, citing serious concerns about the safety and legality of the transfer.

Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a strong dissent. Sotomayor sharply criticized what she characterized as preferential treatment for the executive branch, writing, “What the government wants to do, concretely, is send the eight noncitizens it illegally removed from the United States from Djibouti to South Sudan, where they will be turned over to the local authorities without regard for the likelihood that they will face torture or death.”

She added, “Today’s order clarifies only one thing: Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial.”

Related News

Syria welcomes US decision to lift sanctions, hosts US delegation

Trump claims Gaza war to end in weeks, despite ongoing Israeli assault

Murky deportation process

While most of the men are from countries including Vietnam, South Korea, Mexico, Laos, Cuba, and Myanmar, only one is from South Sudan. All eight men were not given notice of their final deportation destination until the last minute.

Each had prior criminal convictions and was subject to an “order of removal” following incarceration. One detainee, Tuan Thanh Phan, who immigrated to the US from Vietnam as a child, had planned to return to his country of origin after serving his sentence for a gang-related homicide committed at age 18.

Instead, the men were informed they would be sent to South Africa and were asked to sign documents acknowledging their deportation. When they refused, officials rerouted the transfer to South Sudan.

The case came before Judge Brian E. Murphy in the District of Massachusetts, who ruled that the men must receive written notice and the opportunity to raise claims under the Convention Against Torture. However, the administration failed to provide key information about the men’s location or final destination as the deportation proceeded.

Eventually, the detainees were transported to Camp Lemonnier, a US military base in Djibouti, where they were placed under ICE custody. According to a sworn statement by an ICE official, the conditions were dire: several detainees and guards became ill, medical care was limited, and detainees faced malaria risk and proximity to militant activity.

White House silent as legal precedent expands

The Trump administration formally asked the Supreme Court in May to greenlight the deportations, arguing that it was within the executive’s authority to remove individuals to any willing third country.

While the administration has been negotiating deportation agreements with multiple nations willing to accept such transfers, neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security provided immediate comment following the Supreme Court’s decision.

Immigration advocates warn that this case sets a dangerous precedent, undermining protections for vulnerable individuals facing removal and expanding executive power to sidestep due process under international and domestic human rights standards.

Read next: US frees felon to build case against falsely deported Abrego: WashPo

  • United States
  • South Sudan
  • deportation in US
  • Donald Trump
  • Supreme Court

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS