Deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Madison Sheahan, flanked by Acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, speaks during a news conference at ICE Headquarters, in Washington, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated a court order by deporting eight immigrants—including individuals from Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam—to South Sudan without proper legal process.
The apparent removal of one man from Myanmar was confirmed in an email from an immigration official in Texas, according to court documents. He was informed only in English, a language he does not speak well, and his lawyers learned of the plan hours before his deportation flight, they said.
A woman also reported that her husband from Vietnam and up to 10 other people were flown to Africa on Tuesday morning, attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance wrote.
U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy found that the deportees were given less than 24 hours’ notice and no meaningful opportunity to contest their removal. He emphasized that such actions breached his earlier ruling requiring that individuals be informed of their destination and allowed to seek protection if they fear harm.
Judge Murphy has ordered that the government conduct new interviews with the deportees, ensuring privacy and access to legal counsel and interpreters. While he did not mandate their return, he stated that the government may bring them back if appropriate arrangements are made.