Well, here goes nothing! So, immigration lawyers have taken the Trump administration to court once again, but this time to prevent the deportation of a small group of immigrants to a country torn apart by war. The attorneys claimed that two of their clients, hailing from Myanmar and Vietnam, were sent packing to South Sudan on Tuesday morning, defying a court order. They demanded that these individuals be brought back to the United States.
U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy wasn’t having any of it and ordered the Trump administration to keep custody of those being removed to South Sudan or any other third country. He wanted to make sure that if the deportations were found to be bogus, these folks could be brought back. A follow-up hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, where the judge asked the government to spill the beans on who was being deported, what kind of notice they got, and whether they had a chance to speak up about any fears before being shipped off.
The Department of Homeland Security didn’t bother to respond to requests for comment, and NBC News couldn’t confirm independently if a deportation flight to South Sudan had actually taken place. The State Department has already warned Americans to steer clear of South Sudan due to crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict. It’s not exactly a vacation spot. The immigrants allegedly sent to South Sudan had final removal orders to go back to their home countries, according to court documents. The attorneys even included an email from the wife of a Vietnamese immigrant who claimed her husband and others were sent to South Sudan against their will. Sounds like a mess, doesn’t it?
