NEWS / US deports Asian and Latin American men with criminal records to South Sudan

The United States Department of Homeland Security has deported eight men with criminal records to the Republic of South Sudan. None of the men ever resided in or were citizens of the small conflict-ridden African nation. Their deportation occurred after a weeks-long legal battle that resulted in the men being stuck at a US military base in Djibouti.

“This Independence Day marks another victory for the safety and security of the American people,” Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin was quoted by CBS News as stating, in reference to the deportations.

The eight men are variably nationals of Cuba, Mexico, Laos, Myanmar, Sudan, and Vietnam. Their convictions include murder, homicide, robbery, sexual assault, and lascivious acts with a child.

Immigration rights advocates attempted to halt the deportations arguing they were “punitive” and “unconstitutional”.

The deportation had been put on hold in April after a US District Court in Massachusetts required the federal government to give detainees sufficient notice and a chance to be interviewed by a US asylum officer before deportation to a third-party country could occur. The US Supreme Court then issued an order to pause that ruling.

On Thursday, July 3, the Supreme Court, acting at the request of the US President Donald Trump’s administration, clarified the scope of that order, which allowed the deportation to proceed.

A US Department of Justice attorney stated that South Sudan had informed the United States that it would offer the men temporary immigration status. While many human rights advocates have argued that the men could face jail time and torture in South Sudan, the Trump administration stated that it received assurances from South Sudanese officials that the individuals would not face any torture.