A federal court just threw a wrench into a controversial Trump administration maneuver that would have allowed the U.S. government to whisk migrants off to unfamiliar foreign countries—without warning, and without hearing their fears.
In a move that sent shockwaves through immigration circles late Friday, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston issued a nationwide halt on the administration’s attempt to fast-track deportations. The plan? Ship migrants not to their countries of origin, but to third-party nations—some with no real ties to the individuals being deported.
The administration wasted no time filing an appeal. A Justice Department spokesperson fired back, saying the judge had overstepped, accusing him of trying to hijack national security policy.
But for now, the brakes are firmly on.
The case was brought by a coalition of migrants and immigrant rights advocates who challenged a February directive from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). That policy instructed agents to comb through the records of migrants—many of whom had followed all conditions of their release—and re-evaluate them for possible removal. Not to their home countries. Not to where their immigration cases had been processed. But potentially anywhere else the U.S. could negotiate a deal to send them.
No hearing. No notice. No chance to explain why the new destination might be dangerous. Just a knock on the door—and a flight.
Judge Murphy didn’t mince words. He reminded the government’s legal team that the Convention Against Torture prohibits sending people to countries where they risk brutal treatment. His ruling made clear: if the government wants to reroute deportees to third countries, it must first give them written notice and a fair shot at making a claim of fear or persecution.
“If your position today is that we don’t have to give them any notice, and we can send them to any country other than the one an immigration court has already considered, that’s a very surprising thing to hear the government say,” Murphy remarked sharply during the hearing.
Trina Realmuto, one of the attorneys representing the migrants, said the ruling brought a wave of relief.
“The judge understood how dire this situation was—not just for our clients, but for the thousands of others facing the same threat,” she said.
For now, a federal order stands between vulnerable migrants and unannounced deportation to countries they’ve never called home. But the legal battle over who controls America’s immigration machinery—and how far it can stretch—has only just begun.
