US Deports 8 Convicts to South Sudan After Supreme Court Greenlight

• Eight foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. have been deported to South Sudan after a lengthy legal battle
• The deportees, mostly from countries like Myanmar, Cuba, and Mexico, were redirected to South Sudan after their home countries refused to take them
• The Supreme Court overruled a lower court’s halt on their deportation, clearing the path for their controversial transfer to the conflict-prone African nation

Eight men convicted of serious crimes in the United States have been deported to South Sudan, concluding a prolonged legal dispute that delayed their removal for weeks.

The group, comprising individuals from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, and only one from South Sudan, was sent to the East African nation after their original deportation flight was rerouted to Djibouti in May following a court injunction.

The deportees had served or were close to completing sentences for offenses ranging from murder to sexual assault and robbery. However, due to diplomatic pushbacks from their respective home countries, most could not be returned to their nations of origin.

As a result, the U.S. opted to relocate them to a third country under a growing policy shift that allows for such transfers in deportation cases.

Photos released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showed the deportees on board the aircraft with their hands and feet shackled.

Though their current legal or custodial status in South Sudan remains unclear, reports from local civil society advocate Edmund Yakani indicated they were being held in a civilian facility in Juba under police and national security watch.

Yakani said they appeared to be in good physical condition and were no longer restrained.

Deportation initially halted by US court

The group’s deportation was initially halted by a ruling from U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, who said individuals being deported to third countries must be informed and granted access to an asylum officer. But the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision last week, effectively stripping Murphy of jurisdiction and allowing the removals to proceed.

Attempts by the deportees' legal team to find another judge to block the deportations failed. With no remaining legal obstacles, the men were flown to South Sudan despite uncertainties surrounding their citizenship and the volatile conditions in the receiving country.

Reacting to the outcome, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin described the deportation as a victory against “activist judges,” framing it as a step toward stronger enforcement under the Trump administration’s evolving immigration policies.

South Sudan, still reeling from years of conflict and instability, has offered no official statement on whether it will detain, release, or repatriate the men.

Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked visas for South Sudanese nationals after the government refused to accept its deportees, signaling long-standing tensions over U.S. immigration enforcement in the region.

Full list of countries whose citizens Trump is deporting

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the United States had begun a large-scale deportation operation affecting over 1.4 million noncitizens, as the Trump administration moves forward with its immigration crackdown.

The deportations, targeting individuals with final removal orders, span more than 150 countries, making this one of the most extensive removal efforts in U.S. history.

Source: Legit.ng