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A federal judge has ruled the Trump administration cannot deport migrants to countries they have no connection to
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The decision stems from a case last year in which the government attempted to send undocumented immigrants to South Sudan
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and later routed them to Djibouti, even though those were not the countries listed in their final removal orders
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The migrants had no ties to either nation and neither country was identified as their destination in official removal paperwork
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Immigration advocates sued, arguing the policy violated due process protections. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of Massachusetts agreed
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ruling that the federal government cannot send migrants to so-called third countries
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without legal authority and proper notice. He ordered the administration to provide what he called meaningful notice
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before carrying out any such deportations, giving individuals time to challenge their removal in court
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The Trump administration now has 15 days to appeal the ruling
