Judge Blocks Trump Libya Deportation Plan; Migrants Held on Tarmac, Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case Unfolds
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A U.S. federal judge, Brian Murphy, has blocked the Trump administration from deporting migrants to Libya or any other third country without first providing notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal in court. The ruling followed reports that migrants in Texas were prepared for deportation on a C-17 military aircraft and held for hours on a tarmac before being returned to detention as legal challenges halted the flight.
The Trump administration had planned to expand deportations to Libya, which is not a party to the Refugee Convention and has an estimated 800,000 migrants. Both the Tripoli-based government and the eastern administration led by Khalifa Haftar denied any agreement to accept deportees from the United States. The plan reportedly included non-Libyan nationals from Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, and Mexico.
Attorneys representing detained migrants alleged that some were pressured to sign deportation waivers under threat of solitary confinement, and that individuals were not given a meaningful opportunity to claim protection under U.S. law. The court reaffirmed that any removal to Libya would violate a prior order requiring procedural safeguards for migrants facing deportation to countries where they risk persecution or torture.
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have documented systematic abuses against migrants in Libya, including arbitrary detention, torture, and killings. Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the Department of Homeland Security could not confirm media reports of deportations to Libya.
In a related case, the Trump administration invoked the state secrets privilege to avoid disclosing information regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident expelled to El Salvador. The court has ordered the administration to clarify its ability to return deportees and is considering additional testimony from officials across several departments and possibly the White House.
🗞Trump's latest attempt to expand his controversial deportation program has provoked a strong response after it emerged that migrants in U.S. custody were being prepared for deportation to Libya, a country with a history of human rights abuses https://t.co/mDZwzdMBz9
A US judge prevents the Trump administration from deporting immigrants to Libya without giving them an opportunity to appeal #الساعة24 #ليبيا
https://t.co/4nlmD5bqfd
