Trump administration to seek Supreme Court approval for third-country deportation policy

The Trump administration plans to ask the US Supreme Court to allow it to deport immigrants to countries other than their own, according to a statement from Attorney General Todd Blanche. The move follows a lower court ruling that rejected the policy.

Blanche said on Thursday that the Department of Justice would seek assistance from the conservative-majority Supreme Court after a lower court judge rejected the third-country deportation policy roughly a week earlier. The policy is part of the broader mass deportation agenda pursued by the Trump administration.

Legal path to the high court

Third-country deportation refers to the practice of removing immigrants to nations other than their country of origin, an approach that has faced legal challenges over concerns about due process and the conditions immigrants may face in receiving countries with which they have no prior connection.

By seeking Supreme Court intervention, the administration is attempting to overturn the lower court's rejection and secure legal authorisation to continue the practice while related litigation proceeds. The composition of the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, is likely to be a significant factor in how the administration frames its request for emergency relief.

The case adds to a series of legal disputes over the administration's immigration enforcement policies, many of which have moved quickly through the federal court system as the administration seeks swift rulings to implement its enforcement priorities.