Judge accused Trump's administration violated a court order on South Sudan deportation case
Brian Murphy warned about the possibility of deportees by Donald Trump's administration facing torture due to the war situation in South Sudan.
Massachusetts District Attorney Judge Brian Murphy said that Trump's administration violated a judge's order. According to him, "without a doubt," they did so in the case of immigrants who were arrested and deported to South Sudan without any way to challenge it.
The judge said that they could face torture due to the conditions of the country War. "It was impossible for these individuals to have a meaningful opportunity to object to their transfer to South Sudan," the judge said at a hearing last Wednesday.
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17 hours before the immigrants boarded the plane
Eight detainees from different countries were put on a flight on Tuesday, and their attorneys said that their destination was South Sudan. According to the judge, Trump's administration gave them only 17 hours before boarding, which was "clearly" and "undeniably" too short. "They couldn't have called their lawyers even if they wanted to," he said.
Murphy also declared last Wednesday that he is considering holding administration officials in criminal contempt. The attorney mentioned that he is still pushing to establish a deadline limiting detainees' custody to no longer than 24 hours, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must respect. Although he said that about Trump's administration, he did not mention how the DHS should provide detainees with another way to challenge their deportation.
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS' spokesperson, released the list of the detainees, but she did not confirm the arrival destination.
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What did the Department of Homeland Security say about the detainees?
At a press conference, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin declared that the immigrant detainees are still under U.S. government custody. However, they did not reveal the destination of the flight, citing security and operational reasons.
The DHS also revealed the list of the eight detainees, including six women and two men. The women are from Cuba, Laos, and Mexico, and the men are from Vietnam and Myanmar. McLaughlin criticized Murphy, saying: "A local judge in Massachusetts is trying to force the United States to repatriate these uniquely barbaric monsters."
