Deportation Flights Cleared to Resume
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can restart deportations of migrants to “third countries,” meaning nations other than where they are originally from. This ruling, issued on Tuesday, permits the administration to send deportees from Cuba and Venezuela to African countries such as Liberia and Eswatini.
While the one-page decision did not provide a vote count, it indicated that the three liberal justices—Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—would have opposed the request from the Trump administration.
In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quickly hailed the ruling as a significant victory on social media. James Percival, the General Counsel for DHS, tweeted, “In our second Supreme Court victory in less than a week, DHS’s third country removal policy is back in effect. A bad day for criminal illegals and open borders activists alike. It’s not too late to get $3,000 and a flight home.”
The need for this policy arose after several countries, including Cuba and Vietnam, refused to accept their deported nationals, making third-country deportations essential for the U.S.
Despite headlines about deportations to African nations, it’s worth noting that Mexico remains the primary destination for these removals. Of about 25,000 deportations since the policy began, around 20,000 individuals have been sent to Mexico.
The Solicitor General of the Department of Justice, D. John Sauer, successfully filed for the stay of a decision made by Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy.
Sauer explained in the filing that the U.S. relies on third-country removals to expedite the deportation of criminals who are otherwise challenging to remove, given the reluctance of some countries to accept them back. “Without an effective third-country removal policy,” he stated, “the U.S. is compelled to keep dangerous criminals in our communities.”
The ruling from Tuesday serves as a temporary measure while a more permanent decision is pending. The justices will hear oral arguments in December regarding whether Murphy had the jurisdiction to issue a nationwide pause and if the third-country policy is lawful.
This emergency ruling allows the Trump administration to proceed with third-country deportations without adhering to the previously mandated notice-and-hearing process.
Percival further remarked, “The Left wants you to believe that removing aliens to countries other than their home country is cruel. What is cruel is allowing criminal illegals who can’t be sent home to stay in our communities and victimize anew.”
The Supreme Court’s decision marks the third instance where it has granted the federal government the authority to carry out third-country deportations while awaiting a final hearing.
Neither the DHS nor the DOJ has commented on this latest ruling.
