Deportation flights to Libya would violate court order without prior notice, federal judge says

A national justice said Wednesday that immoderate imaginable deportation flights to Libya oregon Saudi Arabia would interruption a tribunal bid if the Trump medication does not supply precocious notification to the impacted illegal immigrants and their attorneys first. 

The medication has not confirmed planned deportation flights to either country, but a radical of attorneys representing amerciable immigrants from nations including Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines claimed successful tribunal documents that their clients were told by migration enforcement agents that they would soon beryllium sent to Libya oregon Saudi Arabia. 

Immigration lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy – who was nominated by erstwhile President Joe Biden – for a impermanent restraining bid Wednesday "to forestall non-citizen removals to 3rd countries, including but not constricted to Libya and Saudia Arabia, without anterior written announcement and a meaningful accidental to rise fear-based claims." 

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Eighty migrants from Guatemala are deported to their state connected a United States subject level astatine the Fort Bliss installation successful El Paso, Texas connected Jan. 30, 2025.  (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Murphy agreed with the migration lawyers that the question should not beryllium required due to the fact that deporting the amerciable immigrants to Libya without a accidental to assertion normal against torture (CAT) extortion would interruption his anterior tribunal order. 

"The April 18, 2025 Preliminary Injunction requires each third-country removals to beryllium preceded, inter alia, by written announcement to some the non-citizen and the non-citizen’s counsel successful a connection the non-citizen tin recognize arsenic good arsenic a meaningful accidental for the non-citizen to rise a fear-based assertion for CAT protection," Murphy wrote Wednesday. "The April 30, 2025 Amendment to the Preliminary Injunction further clarifies that the Department of Homeland Security whitethorn not evade this injunction by ceding power implicit non-citizens oregon the enforcement of its migration responsibilities to immoderate different agency, including but not constricted to the Department of Defense."

"If determination is immoderate doubt—the Court sees none—the allegedly imminent removals, arsenic reported by quality agencies and arsenic Plaintiffs question to corroborate with class-member accounts and nationalist information, would intelligibly interruption this Court’s Order." 

Fox News Digital reached retired to the Department of Homeland Security for remark connected Thursday morning. 

In their petition seeking Murphy’s intervention, the migration attorneys cited "alarming reports" precocious Tuesday and Wednesday greeting from "class members’ counsel and from the press" announcing "the imminent removal" of Laotian, Vietnamese, and Philippine amerciable immigrants "being prepared for removal to Libya, a [country] notorious for its quality rights violations, particularly with respect to migrant residents."

"Class members were being scheduled for removal contempt not receiving the required announcement and accidental to use for CAT protection," they wrote. 

A United States Air Force Boeing C-17 utilized for deportation flights is pictured astatine Biggs Army Airfield successful Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas connected February 13, 2025.  (JUSTIN HAMEL/AFP via Getty Images)

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The attorneys besides cited a CNN report claiming that publically disposable accusation "indicates that a C-17 formation is scheduled to alert connected Wednesday from Kelly Field successful San Antonio, Texas, to Misrata Airport successful Libya." 

The Associated Press cited a U.S. authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity Wednesday astir alleged plans to fly migrants to Libya connected a subject plane. The authoritative reportedly did not person details connected the timing of the C-17 flight. 

Libya has denied reports of a deportation woody with the U.S. 

The Tripoli-based authorities of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said successful a connection Wednesday that determination was "no woody oregon coordination" with the U.S. to person migrants. However, it said "some parallel parties" could person agreed to person them.

Migrants from Guatemala are deported to their state connected a U.S. subject level astatine the Fort Bliss installation successful El Paso, Texas connected Jan. 30, 2025.  (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

That appears to notation to its rival medication successful eastbound Libya, which is controlled by almighty subject commandant Khalifa Hifter. Libya has been divided for years betwixt rival administrations successful the eastbound and west, each backed by equipped groups and overseas governments. The Hifter-led Libya National Army, which controls eastbound and confederate Libya, besides released a statement, denying immoderate woody oregon knowing to person migrants from the U.S.

President Donald Trump connected Wednesday directed questions to the Department of Homeland Security(DHS), according to the AP. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said during a quality league successful Illinois that she "can’t confirm" media reports of plans to nonstop radical to Libya. The State Department told the AP it does not "discuss the details of our diplomatic communications with different governments." 

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The Trump medication has said it's exploring different 3rd countries for deportations. In summation to the Venezuelans sent to El Salvador, the medication has deported radical to Panama and Costa Rica who were not citizens of those countries.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.