US Supreme Court upholds expulsion of undocumented migrants to South Sudan

Edited by:  Reda El Ghazal

The US Supreme Court has paved the way for the removal of eight undocumented migrants to South Sudan, a country with which they have no personal or familial ties and where significant risks have been reported. This development follows a recent ruling that expanded the government’s authority to carry out deportations to third countries when repatriation to a migrant’s country of origin is not feasible.

Over the past month, the individuals concerned—all previously convicted of serious offenses in the United States—had been held at Camp Lemonnier, the US military base in Djibouti. They hail from Vietnam, South Korea, Laos, Cuba, Mexico, and Myanmar. With their home countries declining to accept their return, US authorities negotiated a special arrangement with South Sudan to facilitate their expulsion.

While the group was en route to Juba, judicial intervention from Boston redirected their flight to Djibouti over concerns about possible mistreatment upon arrival. However, US officials now claim to have received diplomatic assurances regarding the migrants’ safety in South Sudan.

These expulsions reflect a broader legal shift after the Supreme Court’s decision, dominated by its conservative majority, enabling removals to any cooperating third country. At the same time, the government has started to lift protective measures for certain non-citizens previously covered by humanitarian or temporary status, signaling the possibility of mass deportations in the coming weeks.