US Supreme Court Lifts Restrictions on Trump’s Third-Country Deportations

The United States Supreme Court has lifted restrictions on the Trump administration’s deportation of immigrants to countries other than their own, while agreeing to hear the case on its merits in December.

The conservative-majority court on Tuesday granted an emergency request by the administration to suspend a lower court ruling that had imposed restrictions on so-called “third-country removals.”

The lower court had ruled that immigrants facing deportation must receive effective notice in advance of the country to which they would be sent. This, it said, would give them an opportunity to raise concerns about possible persecution or other dangers.

The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices dissented, saying they would not have granted the administration’s request to lift the restrictions.

President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and has introduced several measures aimed at accelerating removals since returning to the White House in 2025.

The administration has defended deportations to third countries, arguing that some migrants’ home countries refuse to accept them. Solicitor General John Sauer told the Supreme Court that rapid removals to third countries were an “essential tool” for deporting certain immigrants, including some convicted of serious crimes.

Opponents of the administration’s request argued that the lower court had not imposed a complete ban on third-country deportations but had instead required the government to carry them out lawfully.

An AFP investigation found that the US has offered multimillion-dollar incentives and threatened visa restrictions to persuade third countries, particularly in Africa, to accept deportees.

The investigation also reported that some deportees sent to countries with which they had no previous ties faced alleged abuse by local guards, indefinite detention or subsequent deportation to their countries of origin.

A separate investigation by Forbidden Stories reported that the US had deported more than 25,000 people to 35 countries under secretive agreements, with about $410 million earmarked for receiving countries or United Nations agencies facilitating the transfers.

The report said around 20,000 of the deportees were sent to Mexico, while others were transferred to countries across Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. Congress has maintained a policy against deporting people to countries where they could face persecution, danger or torture.

Following Tuesday’s ruling, some Democratic lawmakers called for stronger safeguards to protect due process. House Democrat Lois Frankel said Congress should act to ensure migrants are not sent to countries that are not their own without an opportunity to raise legitimate safety concerns, while fellow Democrat Rob Menendez described the decision as “indefensible.”