Trump Administration Urges Supreme Court to Lift Deportation Restrictions
The administration of US President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to lift restrictions on deporting undocumented immigrants to countries other than their countries of origin. The application follows a ruling by a federal appeals court that largely upheld a lower court decision limiting the administration’s policy on so-called third-country removals. The appeals court later lifted a stay that had temporarily kept the lower court’s restrictions from taking effect while the case was being considered. The government is now seeking an immediate suspension of those limits, arguing that third-country removals are an important tool for immigration enforcement, including the removal of some people it identifies as serious criminal offenders. Government counsel John Sauer said the lower court’s ruling had created significant logistical difficulties for immigration authorities. The Supreme Court’s docket confirms that the Department of Homeland Security filed the emergency application on September 24, with the response from the other side due by September 28.
The Trump administration has defended third-country deportations on the grounds that some migrants’ countries of origin refuse to accept them, making alternative destinations necessary for removal. Trump returned to the White House after campaigning on a pledge to carry out large-scale deportations of undocumented immigrants and has pursued measures intended to accelerate removals. US law, however, restricts deportations to countries where individuals would face a risk of persecution or torture. The legal dispute therefore centres on what procedures the government must follow before sending migrants to third countries and what protections they must receive to raise safety concerns. The appeals court’s ruling largely maintained requirements for meaningful due process before such removals, while the administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow the policy to proceed while the broader legal challenge continues.
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