The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to immediately freeze a lower court order that blocks the federal government from swiftly deporting immigrants to third countries<\/a> that are different from their country of origin.\u00a0<\/p>\n The move follows a federal appeals court ruling on Wednesday that cleared the way for a lower court decision blocking the rapid removal of migrants to third countries without a “meaningful opportunity” to contest their deportations.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The unexpected springing-back of district court’s order has, this Office is informed, created substantial logistical problems with ongoing removal operations — including the cancellation of flights — and led to added expense, potential diplomatic issues, and the inability to remove dangerous criminals,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in a filing Thursday.<\/p>\n Sauer said that the Department of Homeland Security was forced to cancel a flight to three separate countries carrying 70 people “with criminal convictions” and “that the cancellation has required a new round of diplomatic engagement with each of the three countries.”<\/p>\n ABC News previously interviewed<\/a> a group of Latin American men who were deported to the Central African Republic, which the U.S. has classified as an extreme-risk destination<\/a> for Americans due to armed conflict, violent crime and the threat of terrorism. The men said they were not informed of their destination until several hours into the flight.<\/p>\n In his court filing, Sauer argued that there is a “lack of any realistic risk that [the immigrants] will be persecuted or tortured” in third countries because “the Executive Branch has determined those countries are acceptable places of removal.”<\/p>\n According to immigration lawyers and advocates, third-country removals are not new, but they are rare. In recent months, the Trump administration has ramped up third-country deportations after creating a web of formal deals with nearly three dozen countries to deport asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants with criminal records with little to no warning.<\/p>\n Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detain an individual outside a home in Danbury, Connecticut, on Aug. 27, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Vincent Alban\/Reuters, FILE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Last week, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit\u00a0ruled that immigrants were not receiving adequate notice<\/a> before being deported to nations where they have no connections.<\/p>\n “An individual’s right to contest removal to a country based on a fear of persecution in that country means little if one does not receive prior notice of the intended removal destination and a meaningful opportunity to contest that destination,” wrote Circuit Court Judge Seth Aframe.<\/p>\n “Without even allowing the government a chance to respond, and in the dark of night, a federal appeals court blocked us from conducting all third-country removals of illegal aliens, an entirely legal and invaluable tool to stem the tide of illegal immigration,” Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote Thursday in a social media post announcing that the U.S. would take the case to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n About 25,000 people have been deported to so-called third countries during the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown<\/a>, according to the immigrant rights organization Human Rights First.<\/p>\n The Department of Homeland Security’s general counsel said on X Wednesday that third-party deportations are an “essential public safety tool” that’s utilized in cases where a migrant’s country of origin won’t accept them; when they cannot remain in the U.S. but also can’t go back to their home country; and when there are “logistical problems” associated with removing them to their country of origin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Connecticut\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/82521e89-92ea-4179-8aff-4debbefeb094\/ice-agents-rt-jt-260924_1790273835756_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=375 "\\"Connecticut\\"")
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