The RecordExhibit 30
Deporting people to countries they've never lived in
Mixed rulings means: Courts have ruled both ways on parts of it.
After the Supreme Court lifted a notice requirement, the U.S. deported men to war-torn South Sudan and to Eswatini, countries they had no ties to.
What happened
The South Sudan group had been held for weeks in a shipping container on a U.S. base in Djibouti. South Sudan wouldn't say where the men went. ICE told officers deportees could be given as little as six hours' notice.
Where it stands
A judge found the original South Sudan transfer violated his order. The Supreme Court, 6 to 3, then allowed third-country deportations to resume. On Sept. 29, 2026, after an appeals court upheld a new block citing the law against deporting people to countries where they would likely face persecution, the Supreme Court again let the deportations continue, 6 to 3, and agreed to hear the case this term.
The administration's side
DHS says the deportees were convicted criminals so barbaric their own countries refused to take them back.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/thirdcountry/