A legal tug-of-war unfolds over the planned deportation of eight non-citizens with criminal convictions—spanning countries such as Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan, and Vietnam—to South Sudan, a nation facing ongoing internal conflict.
- The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the removal, ruling that a lower court could not block the deportations. The justices determined that previous stays on judicial orders meant to halt the transfers rendered such blocks void.
- A federal judge in Massachusetts had temporarily paused the deportations in response to a last-minute appeal, but the case was subsequently handed back to Boston, where another judge ruled the migrants could not use the U.S. court system to delay their removals.
- The timeline of hearings, held even during the July 4 holiday, culminated in a decision allowing the deportations to proceed. The migrants were transported from a U.S. naval base in Djibouti to South Sudan late on Independence Day.
Justice Department officials praised the Supreme Court outcome as “a victory for national security and the rule of law.” Meanwhile, advocates and dissenting justices warned that sending convicts—including those convicted of violent crimes like murder—to a country not linked to their origin raises urgent concerns about due process and the potential risks in an unstable region.