WASHINGTON, United States — The US Supreme Court on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, lifted restrictions on the deportation of immigrants to countries that are not their own, while agreeing to hear the issue on its merits in December 2026.
The conservative-dominated high court granted an emergency request by the administration of US President Donald Trump to suspend a lower court ruling that restricted third-country removals. Okay News reports that the lower court had required that individuals targeted with deportation must be given effective notice ahead of time to allow them to raise concerns about potential persecution.
The three liberal justices on the nine-member bench stated that they would not have granted the administration’s request. US President Donald Trump has taken several actions aimed at speeding up deportations since returning to the White House in 2025, defending third-country deportations as necessary when home nations refuse to accept targeted individuals.
Opponents of lifting the restrictions argued in a brief to the court that the lower court ruling did not fully block all third-country deportations, stating “it simply requires them to do so lawfully.” US Solicitor General John Sauer told the court that rapid deportation to third countries was “an essential tool to remove certain aliens, including some of the worst criminal aliens,” adding that the lower court ruling “created substantial logistical problems” with removals.
An investigation by Forbidden Stories found that the US has earmarked $410 million to be paid directly to receiving countries or United Nations agencies to facilitate returns. The investigation published last week revealed that the United States has deported more than 25,000 people under agreements with 35 countries, with around 20,000 sent to Mexico and the remainder dispersed to 27 other countries across Latin America, Africa, and the Pacific, alongside finalized agreements with seven more nations.
Following the ruling, US House Democrat Lois Frankel posted on X, “Congress must step in. No one should be shipped off to a country that is not their own without basic due process and a meaningful opportunity to raise legitimate fears for their safety.” US Representative Rob Menendez called the decision “indefensible,” stating, “Taxpayers shouldn’t fund tearing people from the only home they’ve ever known, nor should our legal system fast-track these unilateral deportations.”
