US Supreme Court Allows Third-Country Deportations to Resume Pending December Hearing

The US Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to restart its practice of sending immigrants to nations where they have no connections, at least for now. The decision came on Tuesday as the justices agreed to examine whether the removals are lawful.

The court said it will hear arguments in December before delivering a final ruling on the matter.

Tuesday's emergency order suspends restrictions that a District Court judge had placed on the deportations. That judge had concluded that individuals are not given enough chance to argue they could be tortured after being sent to a third country.

The three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — indicated they would have left the restrictions in force while the case proceeds. No member of the court provided an explanation for the decision.

President Trump has leaned heavily on third-country removals as part of a wider immigration enforcement push, describing the program as targeting violent offenders. His administration has reached agreements to send deportees to various countries around the world, with many located in Africa.

This is the third time the Supreme Court has issued an emergency ruling in a challenge brought with the support of immigration advocacy groups. In an earlier phase, the justices removed the judge's temporary order that had limited the flights. A few days later, the court again rebuked him by turning down his claim that a deportation flight to South Sudan had violated his directive.

The current dispute centres on the final decision by US District Judge Brian Murphy, who ruled against the president in the case. Murphy, appointed by former President Biden, sits on the federal bench in Boston.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the justices that the lower court's ruling was already stopping deportations, including a flight that had been arranged to take 70 people with criminal convictions to three different countries.

The case remains ongoing, with the December arguments set to determine the ultimate fate of the policy.

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