Judge Rules Trump Admin Violated Court Order During South Sudan Deportation Attempt

‘The department actions in this case are unquestionably in violation of this court’s order,’ the judge said.

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

A federal judge on May 21 ruled that the Trump administration violated his previous order compelling officials 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 had held an emergency hearing on May 20 after the attorneys for the deportees, who had been charged with crimes, accused the Department of Homeland Security of deporting roughly a dozen illegal immigrants from countries including Vietnam and Burma (also known as Myanmar) to South Sudan hours earlier in violation of an April 18 preliminary injunction.