Supreme Court Allows Third-Country Deportations to Resume

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily cleared the Trump administration to resume deporting immigrants to countries other than their countries of origin, lifting a lower-court restriction while the legal challenge continues. The justices scheduled oral arguments for December, leaving unresolved what notice and protection procedures are required before a person is sent to a third country. The brief order gave no explanation for the temporary ruling. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have rejected the administration’s request to lift the restriction. The court asked the parties to address the legality of the policy, due process protections, and whether lower courts had authority to issue nationwide relief. A final decision is expected after the December arguments, with one account of the court’s schedule indicating it could come by July. The administration sought emergency relief after a federal appeals court allowed a restriction imposed by a judge in Boston to take effect.