Unusual Deportations: The Sudden Shift to South Sudan

The United States is deporting people to countries they have never even been to. This is not a new idea, but it is happening more often. The government says it is because some countries refuse to take back their citizens who have committed crimes in the U. S. But is this really the best solution? Take the case of Tuan Thanh Phan. He was set to be deported to Vietnam, where he is from. His wife, Ngoc Phan, had everything ready. She had packed his bags, and his family in Vietnam was waiting for him. But in the middle of the night, immigration officers picked him up and sent him to South Sudan instead. This country is one of the poorest and most unstable in the world. Why the sudden change? The U. S. government says it is because Vietnam would not take him back. But immigration lawyers argue that the men deported to South Sudan were not given enough time to contest their deportations. They should have been given a chance to explain why they might face violence or persecution if sent to a specific country. This is not the first time the U. S. has used third-country deportations. Mexico, for example, has been a past destination for those who cannot be returned to their home countries. But the Trump administration has been pushing to get more countries to repatriate their citizens. This includes countries like China, Venezuela, and Cuba. The government argues that these are dangerous criminals who should not be allowed to stay in the U. S. But immigration lawyers say that the government is rushing these deportations and not giving the men a fair chance to contest their removal. They also argue that the government is making mistakes and violating due process. A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in favor of the immigration lawyers. He said that migrants should be given an interview and 15 days to contest their removal to a specific country. But the Trump administration appealed this decision to the Supreme Court. They argued that the judge was interfering with the executive branch's role to carry out immigration policy. The men deported to South Sudan are now in Djibouti, a small country in East Africa. They are being held at a military base while the administration fights the court orders. The Supreme Court has given the lawyers representing the men until June 4 to respond to the appeal. Until then, the men and the immigration officials are left in limbo. The wife of Tuan Thanh Phan is frustrated. She is angry that the administration is lumping her husband in with others who may have entered the country without legal status and committed multiple crimes. She says he has already served 25 years in prison for his crime. She wants the government to understand the details of his case before labeling him a monster.