Key facts
- The Trump administration will ask the US Supreme Court to allow the deportation of migrants to countries other than their own.
- US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the Department of Justice's intent to seek Supreme Court relief.
- A federal appeals court in Boston rejected the policy, upholding a lower court's decision.
- Over 25,000 migrants have been deported to at least 29 third countries, often Mexico, under the policy.
- Some migrants have been deported to dangerous countries like the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
The Trump administration is preparing to ask the US Supreme Court to reinstate its policy allowing the deportation of immigrants to countries other than their own. This move follows a federal appeals court's rejection of the policy, upholding a lower court's decision that deemed the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) practice unlawful.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the Department of Justice's intention to seek intervention from the Supreme Court, criticizing the appeals court's decision to block the policy without allowing the government a response. Blanche described the third-country removals as a "legal and invaluable tool to stem the tide of illegal immigration."
Under this policy, the administration has reportedly deported over 25,000 migrants to at least 29 third countries, frequently Mexico. In some instances, migrants have been sent to nations considered dangerous, such as the Central African Republic and South Sudan, which are experiencing significant instability and humanitarian crises.
DHS General Counsel James Percival defended the deportations, arguing that it is more cruel to allow individuals with criminal records who cannot be sent to their home countries to remain in US communities.