Judge Orders Trump Admin to Maintain Custody of Illegal Immigrants Being Deported to South Sudan

Attorneys for deportees argue that the government failed to provide the illegal immigrants a ‘meaningful opportunity’ to raise any fears.

Detainees board a plane chartered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at King County International Airport in Seattle, Wash., on April 15, 2025. David Ryder/Getty Images

A federal judge on May 20 ordered the Trump administration to maintain custody of illegal immigrants being deported to South Sudan while the court determines the legality of their removal.

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy held an emergency hearing on May 20 after attorneys for the deportees, all charged with crimes, alleged that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deported about a dozen illegal immigrants from countries such as Vietnam and Burma (also known as Myanmar), to South Sudan earlier that day in violation of an April 18 preliminary injunction.