The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a request from the Trump administration to temporarily resume deporting certain non-citizens to countries other than their own. The order pauses a lower court’s ruling that had found the policy unlawful, allowing the practice to continue while the justices review the case.
The decision puts a stay on a ruling by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston, who had determined the Department of Homeland Security’s policy of removing migrants to so-called third countries was unlawful. The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an emergency request asking the Supreme Court to intervene.
In its order, the Supreme Court also agreed to hear arguments on the legality of the policy in December, with a formal ruling expected to follow. The court’s three liberal justices dissented from the decision to grant the stay.
According to filings from federal attorneys, the lower court’s ruling had forced the cancellation of a deportation flight scheduled to transport approximately 70 people.
The third-country deportation policy has been in effect since last year. According to data compiled by human rights organizations, more than 25,000 individuals have been deported to 29 different countries under the policy. The majority of these deportations have been to Mexico.
Other countries that have received individuals under this policy include South Sudan, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, and the Central African Republic. The U.S. State Department currently has an advisory urging Americans to avoid travel to South Sudan, citing risks of crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict.
This is the second time the case has come before the Supreme Court. Last year, the justices also permitted the deportation flights to continue on a temporary basis while the legal challenges proceeded in lower courts.
