logo
Trump admin says it's deporting 8 ‘monstrous and barbaric' illegal migrants to one of the poorest countries on Earth

Trump admin says it's deporting 8 ‘monstrous and barbaric' illegal migrants to one of the poorest countries on Earth

New York Post21-05-2025
The Trump administration said it has deported at least eight violent illegal migrants to one of the poorest nations on Earth — with their crimes being so 'monstrous and barbaric' that no other country would apparently take them, a Trump administration official told The Post Wednesday.
The migrants were put on a flight to South Sudan — a violence-plagued African country — over the objections of a federal judge.
South Sudanese officials have also objected to the flight.
Advertisement
Of the eight felons, only one is a native of South Sudan. The others are from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam.
'We conducted a deportation flight from Texas to remove some of the most barbaric, violent individuals illegally in the United States,' Homeland Security said in an X post announcing the latest migrant removals.
'No country on earth wanted to accept them because their crimes are so uniquely monstrous and barbaric.'
Advertisement
3 Enrique Arias-Hierro, Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quinones, Thongxay Nilakout, Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez, Dian Peter Domach, Kyaw Mya, Nyo Myint and Tuan Thanh Phan were all deported to South Sudan, an official said.
The migrants — who were convicted of crimes ranging from murder to child sex abuse — were all recently shipped off to the African nation, a senior administration official said.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the flight had arrived in South Sudan. The New York Times reported the plane carrying the migrants had temporarily landed at a US military base in Djibouti.
Among the deportees was Nyo Myint, a Burmese sex offender, who was convicted of first-degree sexual assault involving a victim mentally and physically incapable of resisting. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison over the 2017 assault in Nebraska, officials said.
Advertisement
3 Among them was Nyo Myint, a Burmese sex offender, who was convicted of first-degree sexual assault involving a victim mentally and physically incapable of resisting.
Department of Homeland Security / X
Thongxay Nilakout, a citizen of Laos, was also booted from the US after serving a nearly three decade sentence for the brutal 1994 execution of a German tourist in California, according to the officials.
News of the deportations emerged after a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that US officials must retain custody and control of migrants removed to the African country — or any other — in case he orders their removals were unlawful.
US District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts handed down the ruling after immigration advocates said the Trump administration had started booting the migrants — despite a court order restricting removals to other countries.
Advertisement
3 Thongxay Nilakout, a citizen of Laos, was also booted from the US after serving a nearly three decade sentence for the brutal 1994 execution of a German tourist in California.
Department of Homeland Security / X
The attorneys had argued the deportation flights violated a court order saying people must get a 'meaningful opportunity' to argue that sending them to a country outside their homeland would be a threat to their safety.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin insisted Wednesday that the administration was acting lawfully and had given 'plenty of prior notice' to the migrants and their attorneys about their deportations.
'It is absolutely absurd for a district judge to try to dictate the foreign policy and national security of the United States,' McLaughlin said.
Meanwhile, police in South Sudan said earlier Wednesday that no migrants had yet to arrive in the country.
Major General James Monday Enoka said that if any migrants did touch down, they would be investigated and 're-deported to their correct country' if they're found not to be South Sudanese.
With Post wires
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Priest's Daughter Told a Friend She Was Nervous Before ‘Routine' Visa Hearing. Then She Was Detained by ICE for 5 Days
Priest's Daughter Told a Friend She Was Nervous Before ‘Routine' Visa Hearing. Then She Was Detained by ICE for 5 Days

Yahoo

time17 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Priest's Daughter Told a Friend She Was Nervous Before ‘Routine' Visa Hearing. Then She Was Detained by ICE for 5 Days

'The pain, fear, and uncertainty she and her family endured over the past five days should never have happened,' an official said after Yeonsoo Go's releaseNEED TO KNOW A 20-year-old college student and priest's daughter was detained by immigrant officials following a visa hearing on July 31 Four days later, she was released on her own recognizance after the religious community rallied around her The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claimed that she "overstayed her visa that expired more than two years ago," but an attorney for the Episcopal Diocese of New York denies that, saying her visa was valid through the end of the yearA college student — and daughter of an Episcopal priest — was detained after a standard visa hearing in New York City. Days later, she was reunited with her mom after she was brought back to Manhattan from a Louisiana detention center. 'Everything just feels surreal,' Yeonsoo Go, 20, said after she was allowed to leave Federal Plaza Immigration Court with her mother, Rev. Kyrie Kim, on the evening of Monday, Aug. 4, CW affiliate WPIX reported. 'I always had faith that I would be out soon,' she added, according to CNN affiliate WCBS. Before her arrest, the Purdue University student — who moved to the United States from South Korea with her mom back in 2021 — told a friend she was nervous because of the wave of detainments under the Trump administration, the outlet reported. Then, on Thursday, July 31, Go's fears became reality. Mary Davis, an attorney for the Episcopal Diocese in New York, where Go's mother is a priest, told CNN that the hearing was part of the process to convert her religious worker's dependent visa, known as a R-2 visa, to a student visa. In a separate interview with NBC News, Marissa Joseph, identified as Go's attorney, said the student was renewing her visa because her mother had changed employers. On July 31, Go was told she was due back in court in October, but when she and her mother exited the courthouse, ICE agents were waiting for the young woman, ABC affiliate WABC, FOX affiliate WNYW and CNN reported. 'They thought they had come for a routine hearing, for due process, and they really fell into a black hole of unknown,' Davis told CNN affiliate WCBS, adding that Go was 'absolutely terrified.' Neither attorney immediately responded to PEOPLE's request for comment. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE before her release, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed that Go had "overstayed her visa that expired more than two years ago." However, lawyers for the Episcopal Diocese of New York have denied this, saying that her visa wasn't set to expire until December. 'We have no idea why they are alleging this, because we have a piece of paper that says she has a visa till December 2025,' Davis told NBC News. 'This is what lack of due process does. We have evidence on our side. They're making allegations. We are not being given the opportunity to sort it out.' DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's questions about Go's release. Go's case is one of a number making headlines since President Trump returned to the White House and began cracking down on immigration. While Trump's successful campaign was centered on a law enforcement message to 'seal' the southern border and remove millions of migrants in the country illegally — with a focus on dangerous people and people with criminal backgrounds — some of the deportations have stirred debate. The local religious community was 'heartbroken' by Go's detainment, Rev. Anne Marie Witchger, a priest of St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery and a colleague of Rev. Kim, tells PEOPLE. 'Soo came to this country legally and is lawfully here,' says Rev. Witchger, adding that both Go, who is gearing up her second year at Purdue University, and her mom are 'important members of the community.' Following the 20-year-old student's arrest, the religious community rallied around her, and a GoFundMe has been created to help with legal fees. "We call for the end of weaponization in our courts," Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, said while advocating for her release over the weekend, according to WNYW. "We stand up for a New York and a country that respects the dignity of every person." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Following Go's release, New York Assemblymember Amy Paulin released a statement of support. 'The pain, fear, and uncertainty she and her family endured over the past five days should never have happened,' Paulin wrote. 'But tonight we celebrate her freedom and the strength of a community that refused to stay silent.' Lawyers told WABC that the student's case is ongoing and they are cooperating with government officials. As Davis told CNN, 'We've worked very hard for our voices to be heard and to lift her up, and to convey the message that Soo does not deserve to be in detention and…it's been heard.' Read the original article on People

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin urges fellow Democrats to 'go nuclear' in redistricting fight
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin urges fellow Democrats to 'go nuclear' in redistricting fight

NBC News

time17 minutes ago

  • NBC News

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin urges fellow Democrats to 'go nuclear' in redistricting fight

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a rising Democratic star from Michigan, told NBC News that Democrats should 'go nuclear' to counter Republicans' push in Texas and other red states to redraw the congressional maps in their favor. The first-term senator, who was tapped to deliver the Democratic rebuttal to President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress this year, said Democrats have to fight fire with fire. 'I'm going to urge and encourage blue states like a California or Chicago or Illinois to do the same thing. I don't want to do that. I want the country to have a completely nonpartisan drawing of the lines based on the census. But if they're going to do that and go nuclear, so am I,' she said in an exclusive interview after her first and only town hall of the congressional August recess on Monday night. Slotkin argued that Democrats should go on the 'offensive' against Trump and congressional Republicans' agenda more broadly. If Republicans want her vote on a spending bill to avert a government shutdown at the end of September, for example, Slotkin said they will need to roll back health care cuts signed into law as part of Trump's megabill last month. 'If my vote is wanted, right, then we got to negotiate. And then the thing I'm going to negotiate for is returning some of that health care to the people I represent,' she told NBC News, noting that she voted against a Republican spending bill in March as well. The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, faced intense backlash from the base after he allowed a key procedural vote on that bill to move forward. Slotkin said Democrats are ready for a new generation of leadership, noting that at 49 years old, she's 'like a spring chicken in the Senate.' She referred to older leaders, at one point, as 'warmed over leftovers' and said younger voters relate to members who get 'technology and the changing economy' and don't 'use a flip phone.' Slotkin brought up the issue during the town hall as well. 'Let's be honest, even here tonight, right? It is a very hard thing to bring our young people into the conversation, because they're disillusioned, they feel left out, they feel like these people don't represent me,' she told the crowd, which was overwhelmingly composed of White seniors and older voters, although it was held at a Boys and Girls Club in predominantly-Black Benton Harbor. The club, which is located in Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga's district, has lobbied her to protect its federal funding, Slotkin said. One Democrat who appears to have a grasp on the demographic the rest of the party seems to be struggling with, Slotkin said, is Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City. Slotkin said she disagrees with Mamdani on many issues, but that his upset victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was 'like a blinking red light.' 'It's hard to miss the message of that election, which I think was very similar, frankly, to the election we had in November. Cost of living is still the biggest issue for people that I talk to,' she said. 'It's not maybe the internet's biggest issue, Twitter's biggest issue. It is the issue that 80% of my constituents will talk to me about in the street.' Slotkin said it's not about progressive versus moderate. Like Mamdani, Trump defeated Kamala Harris in 2024 after making lowering costs central to his campaign. 'He was going to put more money into your pocket and his yard signs, his digital ads, his TV ads, they were all centered around that,' she said. 'For Democrats, it was hard to know exactly what our priorities were.' 'We had a lot of issues we cared deeply about, but sometimes, when you care about everything, no one knows what your priorities are,' she continued. 'So my strong belief is that our priority has to be the economy.' The Democratic Party is divided on a central question right now, Slotkin said: 'Is Donald Trump an existential threat to democracy in his second term, or is Donald Trump's second term bad, but, like his first term, survivable if we just wait it out? And I just want you to know, from your senator, as someone who sits in that room on your behalf, I am in camp number one, he is an existential threat to democracy.' Asked about Gaza, Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who is pro-Israel, said she would have voted in favor of blocking certain offensive weapons sales to Israel last week. She missed the votes, brought by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., which failed but attracted the support of more than half of Senate Democrats. 'It's a very dangerous thing if we have support for our relationships abroad be completely partisan,' Slotkin said, adding that she 'was glad' that Trump sent his Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff to Gaza. 'I think that's an important step to, like, see what's on the ground and just bring this thing, all hostages out, end the humanitarian blockade. Like, get it done.'

Trump says Vance is "most likely" his heir apparent
Trump says Vance is "most likely" his heir apparent

CBS News

time17 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Trump says Vance is "most likely" his heir apparent

President Trump said Tuesday he sees Vice President JD Vance as an early favorite to serve as his successor. A reporter asked Mr. Trump whether he sees Vance as the "heir apparent to MAGA." The president responded that Vance is "most likely" the leading contender. "It's too early, obviously, to talk about it. But certainly he's doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point," the president said during an unrelated executive order-signing ceremony. Mr. Trump also mentioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and suggested he's "somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form." And he said the Republican Party has some other "incredible people." The president has singled out Rubio and Vance in the past, but has mostly avoided choosing a favorite. He praised both men in a May interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press" and said he didn't "want to get involved" in picking a leader, though he noted that the vice president would typically "have an advantage." Vance and Rubio are both seen as possible contenders for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination. The two were once vehement Trump critics — with Rubio running against Mr. Trump in the 2016 GOP primaries — but they have repositioned themselves as allies and defenders of the president since then. At least publicly, both men have been coy about their political ambitions. Late last month, Rubio downplayed the possibility of a presidential run in an interview on Fox News' "My View with Lara Trump," which is hosted by the president's daughter-in-law. Rubio said he thinks Vance "would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that," adding that he'd be satisfied if secretary of state ended up being "the apex of my career." Meanwhile, Vance told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" in April he isn't focused on 2028, adding: "When we get to that point, I'll talk to the president. We'll figure out what we want to do." Mr. Trump has also repeatedly toyed with the possibility of running for a third term — even though the Constitution forbids presidents from serving for more than two terms. Earlier Tuesday, he told CNBC's "Squawk Box" he "probably" won't run for another term.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store