Shibbir Ahmed, New York — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to continue rapidly deporting migrants to third countries while the justices consider the legality of the policy. The court’s 6-3 order temporarily suspended a lower-court requirement that migrants receive an opportunity to challenge their removal before being sent to countries other than their own. The case concerns the administration’s use of third-country deportations, under which migrants may be removed to countries with which they may have little or no connection. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear full arguments over the policy in December.
The administration has argued that third-country removals are an important immigration-enforcement tool, particularly when migrants’ countries of origin refuse to accept them or when authorities consider them security or criminal threats. Immigration attorneys and other critics of the policy have challenged the practice in court, arguing that migrants can face serious risks if sent to unfamiliar countries without adequate opportunity to contest their removal.
According to Associated Press reporting, the administration has already deported roughly 25,000 people to more than two dozen countries under the policy, with Mexico among the principal destinations. The Supreme Court’s temporary order does not constitute a final ruling on whether the administration’s third-country deportation policy is lawful. The broader legal dispute remains pending before the justices.
The case is part of a wider legal battle over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including the government’s authority to accelerate removals and limit procedural protections for migrants facing deportation. The December arguments are expected to provide the court with an opportunity to consider the legal requirements surrounding third-country removals and the protections available to people facing deportation.
For migrants currently subject to removal proceedings, Tuesday’s order means the administration can continue the challenged practice while the litigation proceeds. The Supreme Court’s eventual ruling could have broader implications for the government’s authority to deport migrants to countries other than their countries of origin and for the procedural protections available before such removals take place.
