In a troubling revelation, immigration lawyers have alerted a federal judge in Boston that two Asian nationals were deported to South Sudan after being detained in the U.S. The deportation flight, carrying approximately a dozen individuals, included other nationals from countries such as Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, and Mexico. Attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance have argued that this action violates a prior court ruling which stipulated that migrants must have an opportunity to challenge their deportation to countries outside their homeland. This ruling was affirmed by Judge Brian Murphy, who previously expressed his disapproval of sending individuals to third countries without adequate legal recourse.

Concerns surrounding the safety of South Sudan have heightened due to its status as one of the world’s poorest nations, plagued by ongoing conflict and instability. The lawyers representing the Burmese male indicated that their client had limited English proficiency and was coerced into signing a notice of removal at a Texas detention center. When an attorney followed up on her client’s status, she discovered he had already been deported to South Sudan.

The legal team believes that the Vietnamese national may have faced the same predicament. Urgent messages from the spouses of those affected have flooded the legal offices, pleading for immediate assistance in light of the dangerous conditions in South Sudan. The U.S. government's own travel advisory has cautioned against visiting the region due to threats like crime and armed conflict, adding urgency to the lawyers' filings for emergency intervention. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to these serious allegations of illegal deportations.