Trump Takes Third-Country Deportations To Supreme Court, Seeks Faster Removals

The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow it to continue rapidly deporting immigrants to third countries where they have no prior ties, challenging court orders that require migrants to be given a meaningful opportunity to object before removal.

The administration on Thursday sought an immediate halt to lower-court rulings that require migrants to be heard if they believe being sent to a country other than their homeland could expose them to persecution or torture.

The Supreme Court had previously allowed such deportation flights to temporarily continue when the issue reached the justices last year. But since then, a federal appeals court has upheld a final ruling by a Boston-based judge that migrants must have a meaningful chance to raise safety concerns before being sent to a third country.

The ruling does not block third-country deportations altogether, but it adds a legal review process that can delay removals. The administration says the requirement has already caused the cancellation of a flight carrying 70 people with criminal convictions who were scheduled to be sent to three different countries.

Solicitor General D John Sauer argued that the government has removed thousands of migrants to third countries in recent months, with thousands more eligible for similar transfers. He warned that the lower courts' requirements could lead to "cascading delays" and force the government to renegotiate arrangements with foreign countries.

The Trump administration has used agreements with nearly two dozen countries, including South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Panama, to deport people when they cannot be quickly returned to their countries of origin. Officials say governments receiving the migrants provide assurances that they will not face persecution or torture.

However, the policy has also faced allegations over the treatment of deportees. Earlier this month, lawyers for two men sent to Equatorial Guinea alleged that they were beaten and held at gunpoint in a hotel converted into a detention centre, with police covering their heads with bags.

The Supreme Court's response could determine how quickly the administration can carry out third-country removals as Trump's broader immigration crackdown continues. The administration has pledged to deport millions of people living in the United States illegally.