The US has deported eight people to South Sudan following a legal battle that saw them diverted to Djibouti for several weeks.
Only one of the eight is from South Sudan.
South Sudan remains unstable and is on the brink of civil war, with the US State Department warning against travel because of “crime, kidnapping and armed conflict”.
Lawyers then asked another judge to intervene but he ultimately ruled only Judge Murphy had jurisdiction.
Tricia McLaughlin from the US Department of Homeland Security called the South Sudan deportation a victory over “activist judges”.
After a legal dispute that resulted in their being diverted to Djibouti for several weeks, the United States has deported eight individuals to South Sudan.
The men, who had been found guilty of robbery, sexual assault, and murder, had either served out or were almost finished with their prison terms.
South Sudan accounts for just one of the eight. The remainder are citizens of Mexico, Vietnam, Cuba, Myanmar, and Laos. According to US officials, the majority of their native countries had turned them away.
Deportations to third countries are being expanded by the Trump administration.
People have been sent to Costa Rica and El Salvador as a result. In addition to Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, and Moldova being mentioned in media reports as possible recipient nations, Rwanda has confirmed talks.
The men on the plane were shown with their hands and feet shackled in a picture that the Department of Homeland Security sent to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Whether they had been detained by the South Sudanese government or what would happen to them was not disclosed by officials.
South Sudanese civil society leader Edmund Yakani told the BBC World Service that although he was permitted to see the eight individuals for a short time, he was not given the opportunity to speak with them.
Mr. Yakani said the eight were not in handcuffs and seemed to be in good health, and that they were in a civilian facility in the capital, Juba, under the supervision of police and the national security service.
He added, “I hope the government provides clarity on Monday as the group’s status remains unclear.”.
The US State Department has issued a travel warning due to “crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict” in South Sudan, which is still unstable and on the verge of civil war.
After US district judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts blocked the deportation, the eight were diverted to Djibouti from their original May flight out of the United States. He had made a ruling requiring notice and an opportunity to consult with an asylum officer before migrants are deported to third countries.
However, Judge Murphy’s decision was overturned last week when the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration. The deportations were permitted after the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the judge could no longer demand due process hearings.
Another judge was then asked to step in by the lawyers, but he finally decided that only Judge Murphy had jurisdiction. Judge Murphy then claimed that because of the Supreme Court’s “binding” ruling, he lacked the power to halt the removals.
The deportation of South Sudan was referred to as a victory over “activist judges” by Tricia McLaughlin of the US Department of Homeland Security.
Because South Sudan has previously refused to accept deported citizens, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled all visas for South Sudanese passport holders earlier this year.
