Supreme Court lets Trump resume third-country deportations; full arguments set for December

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In a brief order, the court stayed a ruling by Boston-based U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy that had blocked the Department of Homeland Security's third-country deportation policy as unlawful. The court gave no reasons in the order, but said it would take up the case for full oral argument in December, followed by a formal ruling on the policy.

The three liberal justices dissented. The order marks the third time the justices have rejected Judge Murphy's efforts to pause the deportations, which he said violate due process rights and fail to give detainees meaningful notice to raise credible fears of torture or abuse in the countries where they could be sent.

Solicitor General John Sauer called the policy "an essential tool to remove certain aliens, including some of the worst criminal aliens." The administration says it has used the policy to deport tens of thousands of noncitizens to Mexico and countries in Africa and Latin America after their home countries refused to accept them. A tally by human rights groups cited by Reuters puts the figure at more than 25,000 migrants deported to 29 countries, the vast majority to Mexico; deportations have also gone to politically unstable South Sudan, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, and the Central African Republic.