This is escalating tensions between the judiciary and former President Donald Trump’s administration over its controversial immigration policies.

District Judge Brian Murphy issued a strong warning during a hearing in Boston on Wednesday, saying officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) risk being held in contempt of court. His remarks follow the government’s failure to comply with an earlier injunction issued in April, which barred deportations to third countries without giving migrants a fair chance to raise safety concerns.

The case centres on six migrants who were notified they might be sent to South Sudan, just hours before they were due to be put on a plane. Judge Murphy criticised the DHS for providing them with less than 24 hours’ notice, denying them what he described as a "meaningful opportunity" to contest their removal.

The attempted deportation defied the court’s explicit instruction that migrants must not be transferred to countries other than their own without due process.

South Sudan, plagued by years of political instability and intermittent conflict, has repeatedly been cited by human rights organisations as an unsafe destination for deportees. The judge’s ruling casts fresh scrutiny on the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration enforcement, which often came under fire for bypassing legal safeguards.

Further legal proceedings are expected as the court considers whether to hold government officials in contempt.

--ChannelAfrica--