Washington, D.C. — Two Asian immigrants held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Texas have been deported to South Sudan in violation of a federal court order, according to their attorneys.
The men, originally from Myanmar and Vietnam, were awaiting immigration hearings when their lawyers received sudden notice late Monday that they had been removed from the United States. By Tuesday morning, the two had reportedly been placed on a flight to South Sudan alongside up to 10 other deportees.
“I checked the ICE detainee locator and saw that my client was no longer listed,” attorney Jacqueline Brown stated in a court filing. “After contacting the Port Isabel Detention Center, I was informed that he had been removed that morning—to South Sudan.”
The deportations appear to contravene an emergency injunction issued by a federal judge in Boston, which prohibits the U.S. government from transferring foreign nationals to so-called “third-party countries” without proper notice and an opportunity to raise claims of potential torture or mistreatment. That order stemmed from a case involving deportations to Libya, another nation facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
South Sudan, plagued by ongoing violence and human rights abuses, presents similar concerns. Advocates argue that sending individuals to countries where they have no ties and face credible threats violates both U.S. law and international conventions on the treatment of asylum seekers and detainees.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the alleged violation of the court order or the status of the deported individuals.
Legal proceedings are expected to follow as attorneys seek accountability and further information on the deportations.
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