Eight migrants previously detained at a U.S. military base in Djibouti have been deported to South Sudan, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Saturday, marking the latest development in the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration enforcement.
The deportations occurred on Friday, July 4, a U.S. national holiday, following a Supreme Court decision that allowed the transfer to proceed. According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the deportations represent a “win for the rule of law, safety and security of the American people.”
The group of eight men from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan, and Vietnam had spent over a month in U.S. custody in Djibouti while challenging their deportations in court. Their legal team argued that returning them to South Sudan, a country facing ongoing political instability and security concerns, would violate the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Earlier this year, a federal judge in Boston halted their immediate deportation over due process concerns. However, after a legal battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court twice, the justices on Thursday sided with the administration, lifting the injunction and allowing the deportations to proceed.
Despite emergency filings on Friday — when U.S. courts were closed for Independence Day — District Judge Brian Murphy ultimately ruled that the Supreme Court’s decision bound him to reject the migrants’ final appeal.
The plane carrying the deportees landed in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, early Saturday morning, according to two officials at the airport. One airport staffer said he had seen documents confirming the 6:00 a.m. local arrival. The country’s National Security Service has taken over responsibility for the group, but their current whereabouts remain undisclosed.
The case has reignited concerns about the U.S. policy of deporting migrants to third countries where safety is questionable. The U.S. State Department currently advises against travel to South Sudan due to violent crime, armed conflict, and the risk of renewed civil war.
The deportations underscore the Trump administration’s continued push to enforce strict immigration rules, even in cases involving humanitarian risks and international scrutiny.
