US Deports Asian Migrants to South Sudan Amid Legal Controversy

Amidst claims of illegal deportations, immigration lawyers argue that the US government is disregarding a court ruling concerning the treatment of migrants during the removal process.

In a surprising turn of events, attorneys representing detained migrants in the United States have alleged that two Asian men were unlawfully deported to South Sudan, a country marked by severe poverty and ongoing conflict. The lawyers brought this issue to a federal court in Boston, citing a recent flight that transported a dozen deportees, including individuals from Myanmar and Vietnam, that landed in South Sudan on Tuesday.

A prior court ruling has explicitly prohibited the government from deporting individuals to third countries without granting them a "meaningful opportunity" to contest these removals. This development has prompted legal representatives from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance to seek an emergency order from the federal judge to halt the deportations amidst the ongoing controversy.

Judge Brian Murphy, appointed by President Biden, reinforced the legal protections for migrants during a determination on April 18, where he highlighted the need for migrants to have a chance to challenge their removals. Concerns escalated after reports indicated that some deportees were previously slated for removal to Libya, a move Judge Murphy deemed in violation of his ruling.

Lawyers for the detained Burmese individual stressed that their client possesses limited English proficiency and had not consented to the removal notice presented to him by officials at a Texas immigration detention center. This situation unfolded when an attorney, upon finding her client missing from the immigration detention locator, discovered he had been deported to South Sudan without prior notification.

The filing also pointed to another deportee, a Vietnamese man, who was allegedly on the same flight. The urgency of the matter was underscored by a message from the Vietnamese man's spouse expressing distress and pleading for assistance, noting that several individuals aboard the flight were also from other nations including Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, and Mexico.

The US government's travel advisory closely cautions against traveling to South Sudan due to its notorious reputation for crime and violence, raising serious humanitarian concerns for those involuntarily returned to such a dangerous environment. As Africa's youngest nation, South Sudan has struggled with instability following its turbulent birth in 2011, which included a bloody civil war.

This situation has sparked outrage and calls for increased scrutiny on the policies and practices surrounding migrant deportations in the current US administration.