The US Supreme Court has temporarily allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to continue deporting migrants to countries other than their countries of origin while the justices consider the legality of the policy.
The court will hear arguments on whether migrants must be given a meaningful opportunity to challenge their removal before being sent to countries where they have no ties.
The order temporarily blocks an appeals court ruling that had restricted the deportations. Federal attorneys said the lower court’s decision had forced authorities to cancel a deportation flight carrying about 70 people to three countries.
The Supreme Court had previously allowed the administration to temporarily continue the deportation flights while considering an earlier challenge to the policy.
The Trump administration has deported about 25,000 people to more than two dozen countries under a series of agreements, many of which have not been made public. Most of those deported have been sent to Mexico, while others have been sent to countries including Liberia and Guyana.
The administration says third-country deportations are used when migrants with final deportation orders cannot be returned to their home countries or when their countries refuse to accept them.
Federal officials say receiving countries provide assurances that deportees will not be persecuted or tortured.
Immigrant advocates, however, argue that some deportees have been imprisoned or exposed to serious safety risks in countries where they had no previous connections.
They also say some migrants have no criminal convictions and had previously been found to face risks of torture or persecution if returned to their home countries.
The case comes as the Trump administration continues its wider immigration crackdown, including a pledge to deport millions of people living in the United States illegally.
