US deports Asian immigrants to South Sudan

Attorneys say the two men, originally from Myanmar and Vietnam, were sent to a war-torn African nation with no notice — a move that violates federal law. Two Asian immigrants being held in US immigration custody have been deported to South Sudan, in what legal experts call a blatant violation of a federal court order, their attorneys said. The men — one from Myanmar, the other from Vietnam — were awaiting immigration hearings in Texas when their lawyers received sudden notice that they had been placed on a flight with up to 10 others bound for South Sudan. Attorney Jacqueline Brown confirmed the removal after her client disappeared from the ICE detainee database. A detention officer confirmed via email that the deportation occurred “this morning” and listed South Sudan as the destination. "This violates a federal ruling barring deportations to third-party countries without meaningful notice or due process," said Brown. The deportation appears to defy a Boston court’s emergency order, which prevents sending migrants to countries other than their origin — especially those facing humanitarian crises like South Sudan — without giving them the opportunity to argue risk of torture or persecution.