ICE may deport migrants to countries other than their own with just six hours notice, memo says
BOSTON (Reuters) -U.S. immigration officials may deport migrants to countries other than their home nations with as little as six hours' notice, a top Trump administration official said in a memo, offering a preview of how deportations could ramp up.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will generally wait at least 24 hours to deport someone after informing them of their removal to a so-called "third country," according to a memo dated Wednesday, July 9, from the agency's acting director, Todd Lyons.
ICE could remove them, however, to a so-called "third country" with as little as six hours' notice "in exigent circumstances," said the memo, as long as the person has been provided the chance to speak with an attorney.
The memo states that migrants could be sent to nations that have pledged not to persecute or torture them "without the need for further procedures."
The new ICE policy suggests President Donald Trump's administration could move quickly to send migrants to countries around the world.
The Supreme Court in June lifted a lower court's order limiting such deportations without a screening for fear of persecution in the destination country.
Following the high court's ruling and a subsequent order from the justices, the Trump administration sent eight migrants from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan and Vietnam to South Sudan.
The administration last week pressed officials from five African nations - Liberia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon - to accept deportees from elsewhere, Reuters reported.
The Washington Post first reported the new ICE memo.
The administration argues the third country deportations help swiftly remove migrants who should not be in the U.S., including those with criminal convictions.
Advocates have criticized the deportations as dangerous and cruel, since people could be sent to countries where they could face violence, have no ties and do not speak the language.
Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for a group of migrants pursuing a class action lawsuit against such rapid third-county deportations at the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said the policy "falls far short of providing the statutory and due process protections that the law requires."
Third-country deportations have been done in the past, but the tool could be more frequently used as Trump tries to ramp up deportations to record levels.
During Trump's 2017-2021 presidency, his administration deported small numbers of people from El Salvador and Honduras to Guatemala.
Former President Joe Biden's Democratic administration struck a deal with Mexico to take thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, since it was difficult to deport migrants to those nations.
The new ICE memo was filed as evidence in a lawsuit over the wrongful deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
Ellen DeGeneres backs Rosie O'Donnell after Trump threatened to revoke her U.S. citizenship
Ellen DeGeneres is showing support for Rosie O'Donnell. One day after President Donald Trump threatened to revoke O'Donnell's U.S. citizenship following her move to Ireland earlier this year, DeGeneres - who also reportedly fled the country after Trump was elected president - gave her fellow comedian a public shout out. "Good for you," DeGeneres, 67, who reposted Trump's threat and O'Donnell's lengthy response on Instagram. On Saturday, Trump referred to O'Donnell as a "threat to humanity." "Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship," Trump wrote in a post to his social media platform Truth Social. "She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" he added. O'Donnell quickly responded to Trump's jab in several posts that she shared on her social media pages. The "A League of Their Own" star posted a collage of photos centered around a screenshot of Trump's post on Instagram and blasted the politician in the caption. "The president of the USA has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is - a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself," she wrote. "This is why i moved to Ireland - he is a dangerous old soulless man with dementia who lacks empathy compassion and basic humanity." "I stand in direct opposition [to] all he represents- so do millions of others - u gonna deport all who stand against ur evil tendencies - ur a bad joke who cant form a coherent sentence," O'Donnell added along with the hashtag "never trump." The former talk show host later shared a screenshot of her Instagram post on TikTok, where she slammed Trump in the caption, writing that he was a "disgrace to all our beautiful country stands for" and a "danger to our nation." O'Donnell went on to bash Trump as a "mentally ill untreated criminal," claiming that he "lied to America for a decade" during his time hosting the hit reality TV series "The Apprentice." "Had u grown up in NY - as I did - u would know what a total fool he is. Add me to the list of people who oppose him at every turn -it's now or never America," she wrote. Representatives for the White House, DeGeneres and O'Donnell did not respond to Fox News Digital's immediate request for comment. Despite Trump's post, O'Donnell's citizenship is unlikely to be in jeopardy. The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to any person born in the United States and the actress was born in Commack, New York. In addition, many legal experts agree that the government cannot unilaterally revoke the citizenship of a natural-born citizen. One exception is if the government was able to prove that citizenship was obtained through fraud in the case of naturalization. In addition, citizenship can be revoked if an individual commits certain actions, including treason, serving in a foreign military engaged in hostilities against the U.S., or renouncing citizenship. O'Donnell confirmed her move to Ireland in March, saying she left the U.S. days before Trump's inauguration, and explained the new location would be a good fit for her 12-year-old son, Clay. DeGeneres, much like O'Donnell, left the country recently to establish a new life with wife Portia de Rossi across the pond. In April, O'Donnell admitted that while she hasn't been in touch with DeGeneres lately, she was "shocked" to hear why the former talk show host fled the United States. "I've never really known Ellen to say anything political in her life, so I was surprised to read that she left because of President Trump. Like, that shocked me, actually," O'Donnell told Us Weekly. "I've been a political person my whole life, not better or worse, it's just a different way to be in the world." "I was very clear about the reason why I was leaving, and I don't think it came as a surprise to anyone. We're not really in each other's worlds, and it's been kind of awkward but you know what? I wish her the best. I wish that she has peace and love in her life and that she is OK." While they've never had a strong relationship, O'Donnell insisted she harbors no ill will for the comedian. "I don't want to fight against another gay woman. It's not like we're tenaciously opposed to each other," O'Donnell told the outlet. "We're just very different people. We have had some stuff in the past that we never resolved. And not in any way as, as partners or lovers or anything like that, just as friends and comedians, but I wish her the best. I seriously do." She added, "I think that there's enough room in the world for all of the gay comedians, and we all need to stick together because gay people are the next group to be threatened. And the way they attack trans people is absolutely terrifying."
CNN
18 minutes ago
- CNN
Bongino still in limbo as Trump fumes and JD Vance seeks to play mediator, sources say
Several of President Donald Trump's top officials went to work on Monday with a key question unanswered: would Dan Bongino show up today? The deputy FBI director did not go into the office Friday and largely excommunicated himself from most of his colleagues after a major fallout with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. As of Monday morning, no one in leadership at the Justice Department had spoken to Bongino since Wednesday, when he implied that he could no longer continue in his position as long as Bondi was there, sources familiar with the matter said. The threat infuriated Trump, who spent the weekend fuming over both Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel, sources told CNN. Most of his fury was directed at Bongino, causing aides to expect that the deputy director would depart his job in the coming days. But Vice President JD Vance spent the weekend attempting to mediate, at times fielding calls from Patel, Bongino and Bondi, sources said. It remains to be seen if Bongino ultimately resigns, which he told others he was considering. But sources say his relationship with the White House has become basically untenable. Even if he does not quit now, some inside the administration believe he will not stay in the job long-term. Patel, meanwhile, said publicly he had no plans to resign from his role in a statement issued after it was made clear to him that the president was deeply unhappy with how he had handled things. The conflict has put Trump at odds with some of his most prominent MAGA supporters, who had hoped his administration would validate their theories that the government had been covering up a broader conspiracy involving Epstein and other powerful men. Those theories were dashed last week when the Justice Department released a memo concluding there was no evidence that Epstein had a so-called 'client list' of such men. It also said the disgraced former financier and sex offender died by suicide and was not murdered in his New York jail cell. The memo enraged some Trump supporters, who noted that, in response to a reporter's questions, Bondi had at one point claimed to have a client list on her desk. She has since said she was referring just to files related to the case. The frustration over the Epstein case had been brewing inside the administration for months. But it came to a head during a Wednesday meeting, which included Bongino, Bondi, Patel and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, sources said. Bongino and Patel were confronted about whether they were behind a story that said the Justice Department stopped the FBI from releasing more information, they said. Bongino denied leaking that notion to NewsNation, which published the story, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Trump has firmly sided with Bondi throughout the Epstein memo controversy. He publicly defended her and attended a soccer game Sunday with her by his side, showing how Bongino miscalculated the situation, officials said. One Justice Department official told CNN that 'Bondi is in a great headspace. Her relationship with Trump is as strong as ever, and she looks forward to going on offense.' Despite the bad blood and accusations of leaks, Bondi isn't seeking to fire Bongino and is ultimately leaving the decision about whether to stay or go up to him, a person familiar with the matter said. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CBS News
25 minutes ago
- CBS News
Trump threatens tariffs targeting Russia without deal to end Ukraine war in 50 days
Washington — President Trump said Monday that the U.S. will impose 100% tariffs on countries that do business with Russia if there is no peace deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, unveiling his plans to implement secondary sanctions as his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin grows. "We're going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don't have a deal within 50 days, it's very simple," Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office, alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "And they'll be at 100%." "We are very unhappy, I am, with Russia," the president explained. Mr. Trump also said the U.S. would sell more weapons to NATO, which would in turn send them to Ukraine. Some in Congress have pushed for even higher secondary sanctions. Sen. Lindsey Graham, appearing on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday, said these sanctions would give Mr. Trump a "sledgehammer" in the war with Russia. Graham is pushing legislation in the Senate that would give the president the ability to impose 500% tariffs on any country that helps Russia. "We're going after the people who keep Putin in business, and additional sanctions on Russia itself," Graham said. "This is truly a sledgehammer available to President Trump to end this war." Graham called this a "turning point" in the war that started when Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022.
