Deportations to Non-Home Countries Resume: Supreme Court Gives Trump Green Light
Posted on 09/30/26 at 09:52
- Court reactivates controversial deportations
- Over 25,000 expelled
- Mexico concentrates thousands of cases
The U.S. Supreme Court has reopened the door to one of the most contentious immigration policies of the Donald Trump administration: sending migrants to countries other than their own.
The September 29 decision allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to temporarily resume so-called deportations to «third countries» while the judicial dispute over their legality continues.
The ruling suspends, for now, a decision by federal judge Brian Murphy, who had deemed illegal the DHS policy that allowed these expulsions without guaranteeing sufficient opportunity to raise fears of persecution or torture.
The measure does not constitute a definitive resolution on the legality of the program. The Supreme Court agreed to review the case and is expected to hear arguments in December.
Over 25,000 Migrants Sent to Third Countries
Supreme Court lets Trump resume deporting migrants to countries not their own https://t.co/6CwlvALeRu https://t.co/6CwlvALeRu
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 29, 2026
Since January 2025, over 25,000 migrants have been deported to countries other than their own, according to data collected by an investigation coordinated by Forbidden Stories.
Mexico has become the primary destination: nearly 20,000 people of other nationalities were sent there between January 2025 and mid-August 2026.
The policy has also allowed transfers to countries such as South Sudan, Uganda, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, and the Central African Republic, among other nations that have accepted people without citizenship in those territories.
The government argues that this mechanism is necessary when certain migrants cannot be sent to their country of origin, while immigrant advocacy organizations question the security guarantees and due process.
What Changes for Migrants with the Court’s Decision
The order allows the government to continue applying the expulsions while the judges analyze the case, a significant difference from interpreting the decision as a definitive approval of the policy.
The rules used by ICE provide that, when there are credible diplomatic guarantees that a person will not be persecuted or tortured in the destination, the expulsion can be carried out without additional procedures.
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In other circumstances, the guidelines establish a notice about the destination country and generally a minimum period of 24 hours before executing the expulsion, although there are exceptions for situations considered urgent.
The legal battle will continue now before the Supreme Court, where the extent to which the government can resort to third countries to execute deportation orders and what protections the affected individuals should receive will be at stake.
What Immigrants Should Know About the New Deportations
The decision takes on special importance for individuals with final deportation orders who cannot be returned to their country of origin and could be considered for transfer to another country.
The litigation centers precisely on the guarantees that must exist before executing those expulsions, especially when a person claims they could face persecution, torture, or other serious dangers in the receiving territory.
Therefore, those with a deportation order should pay special attention to any notification that identifies a new country of destination and seek legal guidance on the options available in their particular situation.
The Tuesday resolution modifies the immediate scenario once again, but does not end the dispute: the future of the policy will depend on what the Supreme Court decides after studying the case in depth.
SOURCE: eleconomista , grupoanimal