Democratic Lawmakers Urge Congressional Action After Supreme Court Allows Third-Country Deportations
Following a Supreme Court order that lifted limits on deporting migrants to countries other than their own, Democratic members of Congress called for new safeguards to protect individuals at risk of torture or death.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the Trump administration an emergency request that suspended a lower-court ruling restricting "third-country removals," allowing the government to resume deportations to nations where migrants are not citizens. The high court said it will consider the broader issue in December.
Democratic legislators responded by urging Congress to enact stronger protections. Representative Rob Menendez called the decision "indefensible" and warned that taxpayers should not fund the removal of people from the only home they have ever known. House Democrat Lois Frankel said, "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."
The administration has defended third-country deportations as necessary because some home nations refuse to accept their own nationals. Lawmakers said new legislation is needed to ensure due process and prevent deportations that could expose individuals to torture or death.