President Trump’s administration takes fight to Supreme Court as liberal judge blocks deportations, leaving migrants stranded in Djibouti amid diplomatic tensions.
Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to override Judge Brian Murphy’s decision blocking rapid deportations to third countries.
- Judge Murphy’s injunction requires giving migrants at least 10 days notice and opportunity to challenge deportation decisions.
- Eight migrants with criminal records were placed on a flight to South Sudan, allegedly violating court orders, and are now stranded at a military base in Djibouti.
- Solicitor General D. John Sauer argues the injunction disrupts immigration policy, diplomatic efforts, and threatens national security.
- President Trump has criticized judicial intervention, urging the Supreme Court to end what he calls a “quagmire” created by the radical left.
Trump Administration Challenges Liberal Judge’s Block on Deportations
The Trump administration has escalated its battle against illegal immigration by requesting the Supreme Court intervene and lift a lower court order blocking the removal of migrants to third countries. The request comes after U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued an injunction requiring immigration officials to provide migrants with a “meaningful opportunity” to raise concerns about potential torture, persecution, or death before being deported to countries other than their origin. Solicitor General D. John Sauer has argued that these court-created procedures are severely hampering the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
“Those judicially created procedures are currently wreaking havoc on the third-country removal process. In addition to usurping the Executive’s authority over immigration policy, the injunction disrupts sensitive diplomatic, foreign-policy, and national-security efforts,” stated Solicitor General D. John Sauer.
NEW: Trump administration takes another emergency appeal to #SCOTUS, asking it to block Boston fed judge's orders requiring advance notice before third-country deportations https://t.co/5S5SbiYDDZ
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) May 28, 2025
Diplomatic Crisis Unfolds as Deportees Remain Stranded in Djibouti
The administration’s deportation efforts have hit a significant snag, with eight migrants currently held at a military base in Djibouti after their deportation flight was intercepted. Judge Murphy found that the Trump administration likely violated his order by placing these individuals – who have criminal records – on a flight to South Sudan without providing them adequate notice or opportunity to contest their removal. The judge has now ordered “reasonable fear” interviews for six deportees, allowing them legal representation to determine if they face persecution in their destination country.
“The United States has been put to the intolerable choice of holding these aliens for additional proceedings at a military facility on foreign soil — where each day of their continued confinement risks grave harm to American foreign policy — or bringing these convicted criminals back to America,” argued Sauer.
This diplomatic standoff highlights the complex challenges facing the administration’s immigration enforcement plans. The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly approached several countries including Libya, Rwanda, and Costa Rica to accept non-citizen migrants from the United States. In a separate operation, over 200 Venezuelan migrants have already been sent to El Salvador, where they are being detained at a Terrorism Confinement Center. These third-country deportation arrangements represent a key component of President Trump’s strategy to rapidly reduce the illegal immigrant population.
The Trump administration is seeking Supreme Court intervention to permit rapid deportation of undocumented immigrants to countries other than their home nations, according to Fox News.
This follows a nationwide injunction by lower-court Judge Brian Murphy, which blocked the…
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) May 27, 2025
President Trump Slams Judicial Overreach in Immigration Enforcement
President Trump has vocally criticized the judicial intervention hampering his administration’s deportation efforts. The case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing struggle between executive authority on immigration and judicial oversight. Judge Murphy’s ruling requires that immigrants be given at least 10 days to present their claims before being deported to a third country – a timeframe the administration argues severely hampers its ability to execute immigration policy effectively.
“The Judges are absolutely out of control, they’re hurting our Country, and they know nothing about particular situations, or what they are doing – And this must change, IMMEDIATELY! Hopefully, the Supreme Court of the United States will put an END to the quagmire that has been caused by the Radical Left,” stated President Donald Trump.
The current legal battle stems from a case involving a dozen people from countries like Vietnam and Myanmar who were allegedly ordered deported to South Sudan. Judge Murphy’s perspective stands in stark contrast to the administration’s stance, as he emphasized the basic right to due process for migrants facing removal to potentially dangerous countries. “Defendants argue that the United States may send a deportable alien to a country not of their origin, not where an immigration judge has ordered, where they may be immediately tortured and killed, without providing that person any opportunity to tell the deporting authorities that they face grave danger or death because of such a deportation,” noted Murphy in his ruling.
As the Supreme Court considers this emergency request, the outcome will have significant implications for the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy and the balance of power between the judiciary and executive branch on matters of national security and immigration policy.
