A U.S. federal judge halted the deportation of eight migrants to South Sudan on Friday, citing constitutional concerns and safety risks.
Judge Randolph Moss issued the emergency ruling on Independence Day, a rare holiday intervention, to give lawyers time to challenge the removals.
The migrants—originally from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Burma, Sudan, and Vietnam—were being held at a military base in Djibouti for six weeks.
They filed new claims after a Supreme Court decision altered the jurisdiction of a Boston judge who had delayed their deportation.
Their attorneys argue the transfer to South Sudan would violate the Eighth Amendment, which forbids “cruel and unusual” punishment.
South Sudan remains deeply unstable, with the U.S. State Department warning against travel due to armed conflict and violent crime.
The group was set to board a flight at 7 p.m. Friday, but Moss ordered a pause until 4:30 p.m. to allow court review.
The U.S. government says the men, four of whom were convicted of murder, pose public safety risks and should be removed.
A Justice Department lawyer warned that blocking agreed deportations undermines U.S. credibility and strains international cooperation on migration.
Judge Moss declined to hear the full case but sent it to Massachusetts, where the legal challenge was originally filed.
“If they can prove the government acted to punish or make a public example, their claims may well succeed,” Moss noted.
The case highlights a controversial Trump-era policy of deporting migrants to third countries under opaque bilateral agreements.
Legal experts say it may set precedent on whether U.S. authorities can knowingly send people into dangerous conditions as deterrence.
The court’s next decision could test the boundaries of constitutional protection in American immigration enforcement.
