The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting immigrants to third countries, which are nations other than their own homeland where they may have no previous connection. In a brief unsigned order, the court's conservative majority lifted a lower-court decision that had previously restricted such removals by requiring the government to provide notice to immigrants so they could argue they were at risk of persecution or harm.
The Trump administration has defended these third-country deportations as necessary because the home nations of some individuals targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them. Under a series of often-secret agreements, human rights groups report that more than 25,000 people have been deported to 29 countries, including Liberia and Guyana, as part of an immigration crackdown.
The high court granted an emergency petition to remove obstacles to these rapid expulsions, effectively allowing the administration to resume the practice without challenge for now. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the legality of the controversial policy in December before making a final ruling.