Justice Department Seeks Supreme Court Relief on Deportations

The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to let the Trump administration continue deporting migrants to countries other than their homelands while a legal challenge proceeds, seeking emergency relief from lower-court requirements that migrants have a meaningful chance to contest the destination on grounds of possible persecution or torture. The emergency application follows a First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding a ruling that migrants must receive notice and an opportunity to raise those concerns before removal to a third country. The ruling did not prohibit such deportations outright, but requires a process for challenging them. The administration argues the requirements have disrupted removal operations and asks the justices to pause them while the wider case continues. In its filing, the administration said the restrictions had caused flight cancellations and other logistical problems. It said one cancelled flight was carrying 70 people with criminal convictions and was bound for three countries.