US President Donald Trump’s administration has been accused of unlawfully deporting two Asian men to South Sudan, according to immigration lawyers who filed a submission with a federal judge in Boston. The lawyers claimed that a flight carrying twelve individuals, including citizens of Myanmar and Vietnam, arrived in South Sudan on Tuesday. A previous court ruling prohibits the US government from deporting migrants to third countries without providing them with a “meaningful opportunity” to challenge such removals.
The National Immigration Litigation Alliance, representing the migrants, submitted an emergency request to the federal judge to prevent the deportations. Judge Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, had previously ruled on April 18 that individuals facing removal to countries other than their homelands should be given a chance to contest such actions. When reports emerged that some migrants could be sent to Libya, the judge stated that such a move would violate his ruling.
Legal counsel for a Burmese man involved in the case argued that their client, who speaks limited English, had refused to sign a notice of removal served at an immigration detention center in Texas. On Tuesday morning, one of the lawyers emailed the center after realizing her client was no longer listed on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator. She was informed that her client had been removed from the US.
When the attorney asked to which country her client had been deported, the email reply stated “South Sudan.” The lawyers also raised concerns about a Vietnamese man, who “appears to have suffered the same fate and is or was on the same flight” as the man from Myanmar. The Vietnamese man’s spouse later emailed his lawyer, stating that the group of approximately ten other individuals believed to have been deported included nationals from Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, and Mexico. She pleaded for immediate action, emphasizing that such actions cannot be allowed.
The US government’s travel advisory strongly advises against traveling to South Sudan due to crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict. As Africa’s youngest nation, South Sudan suffered a violent civil war shortly after gaining independence in 2011.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0lnnk5ld5lo
