U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston on Friday blocked the Trump administration from implementing a new policy that would allow it to quickly deport hundreds, if not thousands, of migrants to third countries without giving them a chance to show they fear persecution, torture or death there.
A Boston judge last month issued a temporary restraining order blocking the administration from speeding up deportations, limiting its ability to remove migrants who have already been issued final deportation orders and who, in some cases, have legal protections against being sent back to their home countries.
The temporary restraining order issued on Friday remains in effect until the court case is concluded. The administration has already said in court filings that it plans to appeal Murphy’s decision, Reuters reported.
Federal judges often issue orders that apply nationwide when deciding challenges to government policies. Because of such decisions, the Trump administration had previously asked the U.S. Supreme Court to limit the scope of such bans to only those who have filed a lawsuit.
The decision requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide people facing deportation with a “meaningful opportunity” to seek legal protection before they are sent to third countries.
“The court concluded that these deportations were likely to be or will be wrongful, and that plaintiffs at least had no opportunity to demonstrate the serious harm they would suffer,” wrote Judge Murphy, who was appointed by Joe Biden.
Many of the people being deported to third countries are refugees who have already been granted protection from being returned to their home countries, where they could face persecution or torture, said Anwen Hughes of Human Rights First, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
