US Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Resume Third-Country Deportations

The US Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to temporarily resume deporting migrants to third countries while the legal challenge to the policy continues.

The court’s September 29 decision was 6-3 and lifted a lower-court restriction that had prevented the administration from carrying out such removals without giving migrants an opportunity to challenge their transfer.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the broader legal dispute in December, meaning the latest order does not represent a final ruling on the legality of the policy.

The administration has argued that third-country removals are necessary in cases where migrants cannot be returned to their countries of origin and has said safeguards are in place.

The policy has involved deportations to countries including Mexico, Liberia and Guyana. The Associated Press reported that around 25,000 people had been sent to more than two dozen countries under the programme.

The Supreme Court’s decision allows the removals to continue while the justices consider the underlying legal questions.

The case is expected to receive a full hearing in December, after which the court could issue a final ruling on the administration’s authority to conduct the deportations.