The US Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the Trump administration permission to continue sending migrants to nations other than their own, even as the high court prepares to review the legality of the practice. The conservative majority temporarily blocked lower-court safeguards that required deported individuals to receive timely notice of their destination and an opportunity to raise concerns about potential persecution.
The nine-member court heard an emergency request from the White House to suspend a ruling from a lower court, which had placed restrictions on what are known as “third-country removals.” While the lower court decision did not impose a complete ban on the practice, it mandated that targets of deportation be given effective notice in advance to address any risks of persecution. All three liberal justices stated they would have denied the administration’s request.
President Donald Trump has made the expulsion of millions of undocumented migrants a central pillar of his agenda since returning to the White House in 2025. The Trump administration has argued that sending individuals to third nations is a necessary measure, particularly when their countries of origin refuse to accept them. Solicitor General John Sauer told the court that these rapid deportations are an “essential tool” for removing dangerous criminal aliens. He further claimed that the lower court’s restrictions created significant logistical obstacles for removal operations.
Opponents of the policy argued in their brief to the Supreme Court that the lower court ruling simply required the government to conduct deportations in accordance with the law, rather than halting them entirely. An investigation by AFP revealed that the US has utilized multimillion-dollar financial deals and threatened visa restrictions to persuade third countries, particularly in Africa, to accept deportees.
Reports indicate that once deportees are sent to these foreign jurisdictions, they have faced abuse by local guards, indefinite detention, or immediate re-deportation to their home countries. Under current US policy, established by Congress, it is illegal to deport individuals to nations where their lives would be endangered or where they might face torture. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the merits of the case in December.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
So the White House just buys cooperation with bribes and threats? I wonder how many of these third countries actually respect the deportees’ safety.
This feels dangerously reckless. Sending people to places that might torture them undermines the very laws meant to protect human rights.