Court Blocks Trump’s Deportation Plans Without Due Process

A federal judge has delivered another significant blow to the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation strategy, ruling that immigrants cannot be sent to third countries without an opportunity to challenge their removal.

The ruling marks the latest setback in a series of legal challenges that have constrained the president’s efforts to implement his promised mass deportation campaign.

Judge Requires “Meaningful Opportunity” to Challenge Removal

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued an injunction on Friday barring the administration from rapidly deporting migrants to countries other than their own without allowing them the chance to raise concerns about their safety, according to Reuters.

“The Court has found it likely that these deportations have or will be wrongfully executed and that there has been no opportunity for Plaintiffs to demonstrate the substantial harms they might face,” Judge Murphy wrote in his decision.

The ruling specifically targets a controversial tactic the administration has employed: sending deportees to third countries rather than their nations of origin, often with minimal processing time and limited legal recourse.

Supreme Court’s Earlier Mixed Decision

This latest ruling follows a Supreme Court decision in April that gave a partial victory to the administration while still mandating due process protections. The high court allowed the government to proceed with deportations under the rarely used 1798 Alien Enemies Act, but only if detainees receive proper notice and time to challenge their removal, as reported by NPR.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in that case that the requirement for due process “may have life or death consequences” for those facing deportation, particularly when being sent to countries they’ve never lived in.

The administration has argued that lengthy legal proceedings for each deportation would make its enforcement efforts impossible to implement at scale.

Continued Legal Resistance to Deportation Strategy

The White House has faced mounting legal challenges to its immigration enforcement strategy since taking office in January. These court battles have significantly slowed the pace of removals compared to the administration’s ambitious targets.

Multiple federal judges have now ruled that even in expedited proceedings, individuals facing deportation must have some opportunity to make claims for protection under international refugee law and the Convention Against Torture.

Attorney Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union, who has led several challenges to the administration’s deportation policies, described the ruling as critical to preventing irreparable harm, according to ABC News.

Administration’s Response and Next Steps

The Department of Homeland Security has not immediately responded to requests for comment on the ruling, but officials have previously maintained that swift deportations are necessary to address what they characterize as a national security crisis.

Despite this latest setback, the administration is likely to appeal the decision while continuing to pursue alternative methods of accelerating removals that might withstand judicial scrutiny.

Legal experts note that the administration still has significant authority to conduct deportations, particularly for recent border crossers, but the courts have consistently required that basic due process protections must be maintained even in expedited proceedings.