Eight migrants deported by the United States have arrived at Juba International Airport, the capital of South Sudan, according to airport sources and government officials.
The migrants had previously been held at a U.S. military base in Djibouti before being deported, after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted legal restrictions that had prevented their transfer to South Sudan — a country plagued by political instability.
The deportation followed the migrants’ failed legal appeals, with the Supreme Court siding with President Donald Trump’s administration in its policy of deporting migrants to “third countries” other than their countries of origin.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that South Sudan provided diplomatic assurances that the deportees would not face torture or persecution, in line with guidelines issued in March permitting direct deportations under such conditions.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant to the Secretary of Homeland Security, described the decision as “a victory for the rule of law.” However, human rights activists criticized the move, warning of the dangers of sending people to a country the U.S. State Department advises against traveling to due to armed conflict and crime.
Among the deportees were citizens of Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Only one held South Sudanese nationality.
Their fate upon arrival remains unclear, although American officials were present at the airport to receive them.
