• Trump administration allegedly deporting migrants to South Sudan despite federal court restrictions.
• Attorneys claim that migrants were denied a meaningful chance to contest their deportations.
• Federal Judge Brian E. Murphy orders retention of custody for impacted migrants pending legal decisions.
• South Sudan faces serious human rights issues and ongoing violence, heightening concerns over deportations.
• Emergency hearings are underway to address the legality of these removals.

The Trump administration is reportedly deporting individuals from Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan, despite a federal court order regulating such removals. Attorneys representing the migrants assert that as many as a dozen individuals have been sent to South Sudan without receiving the legally mandated opportunity to contest their deportations, which violates a previous court ruling requiring a "meaningful opportunity" for individuals to argue against being sent to a country that may threaten their safety, according to Newsweek, India Times, and South China Morning Post.

Confirmation of these actions comes from an email sent by an immigration official in Texas, detailing the removal of a man from Myanmar who was not properly informed of his deportation, particularly since he was notified solely in English—a language he does not comprehend well. Additionally, another report indicated that a Vietnamese individual and approximately ten others were deported to Africa recently, according to immigration attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, as reported by Newsweek, India Times, and South China Morning Post.

In response to these deportations, U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy has mandated that the government retains custody of all migrants sent to South Sudan until it can be determined whether these deportations are lawful. Murphy emphasized that the government must ensure those affected are treated humanely, as reflected in the ongoing legal arguments surrounding their cases, according to South China Morning Post and India Times.

South Sudan, recently identified as unstable due to conflict and civil unrest, has been highlighted by the U.S. State Department as having numerous human rights issues, including arbitrary killings and torture. The situation has raised significant concerns about the safety of deported individuals, especially given the country’s recent history of violence, which threatens to escalate again, as noted by sources like Newsweek and South China Morning Post.