The United States Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Donald Trump administration, allowing immigration authorities to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own, a controversial policy that had previously been blocked by a lower court, Al Jazeera reported.
In a brief order issued on Monday, the court’s conservative majority lifted a restriction requiring that migrants be allowed to challenge such deportations in court.
The ruling came without a detailed explanation, in line with the court’s typical handling of emergency docket cases. All three liberal justices dissented.
The decision came as Trump intensified his administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigration, vowing to remove millions of people living unlawfully in the US.
Among those affected are migrants from countries such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cuba, who have been convicted of violent crimes and could not be repatriated directly to their countries of origin.
In May, eight individuals were placed on a deportation flight intended for South Sudan.
The flight was diverted to a U.S. naval base in Djibouti after US District Judge Brian Murphy intervened.
He had previously ruled that individuals facing deportation must have the chance to present evidence that they could face torture or death if removed to a third country.
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the court’s action could place “thousands” at risk.
“The government has made clear in word and deed that it feels itself unconstrained by law, free to deport anyone anywhere without notice or an opportunity to be heard,” she wrote.
Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined her dissent.
Legal advocates also condemned the ruling. Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, described the consequences as “horrifying,” vowing to continue legal challenges on behalf of affected migrants.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security hailed the court’s decision as a “major win for the safety and security of the American people” but did not provide further comment.
The Trump administration has entered into agreements with countries such as Panama and Costa Rica to accept deported migrants, citing difficulties in returning individuals to their home countries.
South Sudan, the intended destination for the May flight, has faced persistent conflict and instability since its independence in 2011.
Judge Murphy, appointed by President Joe Biden, emphasised in his earlier ruling that while deportations to third countries are not prohibited, individuals must be given a fair chance to argue that such transfers could subject them to serious harm.
The ruling is the latest in a series of legal disputes over immigration policy during Trump’s second term.
In another case presided over by Murphy, a gay Guatemalan man who was deported to Mexico despite fearing violence there was later returned to the US after it was determined his removal violated federal protections.
