Judge blocks Trump administration's deportation flights to Libya
- A federal judge ruled that deportation flights to Libya would violate a court order due to lack of prior notification.
- Immigration attorneys raised concerns about due process and potential human rights abuses faced by deportees in Libya.
- The ruling blocks the administration's plans, reaffirming the necessity of adequate legal protections for migrants.
On May 7, 2025, in the United States, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued a ruling that any potential deportations to Libya or Saudi Arabia would violate an existing court order requiring advance notification to affected individuals and their legal representatives. This decision stemmed from a claim made by immigration enforcement agents to illegal immigrants from various countries, including Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines, that these individuals would soon be deported to Libya or Saudi Arabia without the necessary legal procedures in place. The judge's ruling emphasized that bypassing legal protections, which include the opportunity to apply for Convention Against Torture (CAT) protection, would breach the court's prior directive established in an earlier injunction dated April 18, 2025. This ruling also made it clear that the Department of Homeland Security cannot transfer responsibility for deportations to other agencies, including military bodies like the Department of Defense. The immigration attorneys who brought this motion forward highlighted alarming reports indicating that their clients faced possible deportations to a country known for severe human rights abuses, and they argued that not providing adequate notice for presenting fear-based claims would violate due process rights. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had allegedly put pressure on some detainees to consent to deportation, raising further concerns about the handling of these cases.