The Trump administration has violated a federal court order by deporting at least a dozen migrants to South Sudan without giving them a chance to contest their removal, according to attorneys and a US District Judge. The deportations, revealed in an emergency court motion on Tuesday, targeted Vietnamese and Burmese nationals, some of whom do not speak English fluently and had little to no understanding of the legal proceedings against them.
US District Judge Brian Murphy, who previously barred the administration from deporting migrants to third countries without written notice and a meaningful opportunity to object, expressed serious concern in court. “Based on what I have been told, this seems like it may be contempt,” Murphy said, addressing a Justice Department attorney during a tense hearing in Boston.
The emergency motion details how one Burmese client was quietly removed to South Sudan despite limited English proficiency and no clear communication from authorities. Another Vietnamese migrant “appears to have suffered the same fate,” according to the filing. Attorneys believe at least 10 more migrants were deported in the same manner.
The deportations occurred in violation of Murphy’s earlier injunction, which was issued to prevent swift and potentially dangerous transfers of migrants to countries other than their own, particularly when those countries pose risks of torture or persecution.
Attorneys are now demanding that the court order the return of those deported and take immediate steps to block future violations.
The development underscores a renewed confrontation between the federal judiciary and Republican President Donald Trump’s administration, as it pushes forward with mass deportations central to his hardline immigration agenda.
With inputs from agencies
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