(JUBA) – Eight foreign nationals have been deported from the United States to South Sudan following a prolonged legal battle that escalated to the Supreme Court. The deportation was confirmed by the US Department of Homeland Security and South Sudanese airport officials after the aircraft carrying the men landed in Juba early Saturday morning.
The deportation which took place on Friday coincided with the US Independence Day holiday on July 4. Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that the action was “a win for the rule of law, safety and security of the American people.”
The aircraft carrying the men, who had been held for over a month at a US military base in Djibouti, arrived in South Sudan at around 6:00 a.m. local time. A staff member at Juba International Airport, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrival and said a document showed the names of the deportees on board. An immigration officer also confirmed the landing but referred all further questions to South Sudan’s National Security Service.
Before their arrival, government sources in Juba indicated that US officials were already present at the airport awaiting the deportees.
The identities and nationalities of the eight deported individuals have raised questions, as none of them are originally from South Sudan. According to their legal representatives, the men are from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan, and Vietnam. Their lawyers argued that deporting them to South Sudan, a country they have no ties to, constituted a violation of the US Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
Despite these claims, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the deportation on Thursday, overturning a lower court’s earlier decision that had temporarily blocked their removal. On Friday, even though US courts were closed for the holiday, emergency hearings were held, and US District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston said he was compelled by the Supreme Court’s decision to deny the migrants’ last appeal.
The exact location and status of the men within South Sudan remain unknown.
South Sudan remains a politically unstable and dangerous country, even for its citizens. The US State Department and Australia’s Smart Traveller continue to advise against all travel to South Sudan, citing widespread violent crime, armed conflict, and the potential for sudden deterioration of the security situation.
| Advisory Status | Issuing Country | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Do Not Travel | United States | Due to violent crime and ongoing armed conflict |
| Do Not Travel | Australia | Owing to volatile security and risk of violence and civil unrest |
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that South Sudan’s fragile political state could easily collapse into renewed civil war, despite the peace agreement signed in 2018. The arrival of foreign deportees into such an environment is likely to intensify international scrutiny.
