Trump Administration Urges Supreme Court to Permit Third-Country Deportations
The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow it to continue deporting migrants to countries other than their own without first giving them a chance to show the harms they might face. In a filing on Thursday, the Justice Department argued that lower court rulings have disrupted “an essential tool to remove certain aliens, including some of the worst criminal aliens.” The administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, John Sauer, urged the justices to permit the deportations to proceed, emphasizing that the policy is critical to its broader immigration crackdown.
As part of its aggressive enforcement strategy, the administration has brokered agreements with dozens of countries, primarily in Africa and Latin America, that have agreed to accept deportees from the US. According to a tally by human rights groups, more than 25,000 migrants have been deported to 29 countries under the policy implemented last year, with the vast majority going to Mexico. Immigration officials have mainly targeted two categories: immigrants who won limited legal protections in the US and those with criminal records. The administration contends that third-country deportations are necessary to remove individuals who cannot be sent back to their home countries due to diplomatic or legal obstacles.
The legal battle comes amid ongoing repatriation efforts. On February 20, 2025, a flight carrying 177 Venezuelan deportees arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport in La Guaira, Venezuela, after being transferred from Guantanamo, Cuba. This marked the second day of repatriation flights, following the first two flights on February 10 that returned 190 people. The administration argues that lower court interventions, which require offering migrants a chance to contest their removal to third countries, “will cause significant and irreparable harm to US foreign policy” by undermining carefully negotiated arrangements with partner nations.
Human rights advocates warn that the policy could expose vulnerable individuals to persecution or danger in countries where they have no ties. The Supreme Court’s decision will determine whether the administration can continue its third-country deportation campaign without additional procedural safeguards. The case highlights the tension between the executive branch’s immigration enforcement goals and judicial oversight, with far-reaching implications for US deportation practices.
Shimanta Das 
