US Supreme Court lifts third-country deportation limits

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted restrictions on deporting immigrants to countries that are not their own, while agreeing to hear the issue on its merits in December.

The court granted an emergency request by the Trump administration to suspend a lower court ruling that had restricted so-called third-country removals. The lower court had required people targeted for deportation to receive effective advance notice of where they were being sent so they could raise concerns about possible persecution.

The three liberal justices on the nine-member court said they would not have granted the administration's request.

The Trump administration says third-country deportations are needed because some home countries refuse to accept people targeted for removal. Solicitor General John Sauer told the court that rapid removals to third countries were an essential tool for deporting certain migrants, including some criminal offenders.

Opponents argued that the lower court ruling did not fully block third-country deportations and only required the government to carry them out lawfully.

AFP reported that the United States has offered multimillion-dollar deals and threatened visa restrictions to persuade third countries, especially in Africa, to accept deportees. AFP also reported that some deportees sent outside US jurisdiction have faced abuse by local guards, indefinite detention or rapid re-deportation to their home countries.