United States judge blocks Department of Homeland Security policy allowing deportations to third countries
DHS no longer has legal authority to use the March 2025 expedited procedure to remove migrants to third countries without providing advance notice and an opportunity to object. Migrants targeted for third-country removals must receive notice and an opportunity to raise safety concerns before such removals proceed.
Change
United States District Judge Brian Murphy struck down the Department of Homeland Security's March 2025 policy permitting rapid deportations of migrants to third countries and paused enforcement of his order for 15 days to allow an appeal.
Why it matters
The ruling prevents immigration authorities from executing expedited removals to countries not named in migrants' removal orders without providing meaningful notice and a chance to raise safety objections. That constraint removes the administration's option to send people on as little as six hours' notice to unfamiliar countries unless courts find the process protects due process rights.
Implications
- — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removal officers must suspend planned third‑country removals unless they provide documented, meaningful notice and an opportunity for migrants to object, or courts will set those removals aside.
- — U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removal operations teams must revise internal procedures to record notice and objection processes before executing any deportation to a country not listed in a migrant's removal order.
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