US Election 2024

Judge sounds alarms on claims Trump admin will send deportation flights to Libya

A recent court order has brought attention to potential deportation flights to Libya and Saudi Arabia, with federal judge Brian E. Murphy stating that any such flights without advanced notification to impacted illegal immigrants and their attorneys would violate the court order. While the Trump administration has not confirmed any planned deportation flights to these countries, a group of attorneys representing illegal immigrants from countries like Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines have claimed that their clients were informed by immigration enforcement agents that they would soon be sent to Libya or Saudi Arabia.

The immigration lawyers sought a temporary restraining order from Judge Murphy to prevent non-citizen removals to third countries without prior written notice and a meaningful opportunity to raise fear-based claims for protection. Judge Murphy agreed with the attorneys, stating that deporting illegal immigrants to Libya without the chance to claim protection against torture would violate his prior court order.

Reports of an alleged C-17 flight scheduled to fly from Texas to Libya have raised concerns, with Libya denying any deal with the U.S. government to receive migrants. The Tripoli-based government has stated that there was no coordination with the U.S., but acknowledged that “parallel parties” may have agreed to receive migrants. The Hifter-led Libya National Army also denied any deal to receive migrants from the U.S.

President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have not confirmed the reports of deportation flights to Libya, with the State Department declining to discuss details of diplomatic communications with other governments. The Trump administration has mentioned exploring other third countries for deportations, including El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica.

See also  Bondi spars with Schiff at testy confirmation hearing: ‘You were censured’

Overall, the situation highlights the complexities and legal challenges surrounding deportation flights and the importance of ensuring due process and notification for impacted individuals and their legal representatives. It remains to be seen how the issue will be resolved and what actions will be taken by the U.S. government in response to the court order.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button