Latest news with #non-Libyan
Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Migrants told of Libya deportation waited hours on tarmac, attorney says
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Customs and Border Protection security agents guide detained migrants to board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, U.S. January 23, 2025. Dept. of Defense/U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON - Migrants in Texas who were told they would be deported to Libya sat on a military airfield tarmac for hours on Wednesday, unsure of what would happen next, an attorney for one of the men told Reuters. The attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, said his client, a Vietnamese construction worker from Los Angeles, was among the migrants woken in the early morning hours and bused from an immigration detention center in Pearsall, Texas, to an airfield where a military aircraft awaited them. After several hours, they were bused back to the detention center around noon, the attorney said on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was first to report that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was poised to deport migrants to Libya, a move that would escalate his immigration crackdown which has already drawn legal backlash. Officials earlier this week told Reuters the U.S. military could fly the migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday, but stressed that plans could change. A U.S. official told Reuters the flight never departed. As of Friday, it was unclear if the administration was still planning to proceed with the deportations. A federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday that any effort by the Trump administration to deport non-Libyan migrants to Libya without adequate screenings for possible persecution or torture would clearly violate a prior court order. Lawyers for a group of migrants pursuing a class action lawsuit had made an emergency request to the court hours after the news broke of the potential flight to Libya. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Nguyen, who declined to name his client, said the man was told on Monday to sign a document agreeing to be deported to Libya. The man, who does not read English well, declined to sign it and was placed in solitary confinement and shackled along with four or five other men, the attorney said. The man was never provided an opportunity to express a fear of being deported to Libya as required under federal immigration law and the recent judicial order, Nguyen said. "They said, 'We're deporting you to Libya,' even though he hadn't signed the form, he didn't know what the form was," Nguyen said. Nguyen said his client, originally from Vietnam, has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s but was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year during a regular check-in. Vietnam declines to accept some deportees and processes deportation paperwork slowly, Nguyen said, making it harder for the U.S. to send deportees there. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Migrants told of Libya deportation waited hours on tarmac, attorney says
By Ted Hesson, Phil Stewart and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Migrants in Texas who were told they would be deported to Libya sat on a military airfield tarmac for hours on Wednesday, unsure of what would happen next, an attorney for one of the men told Reuters. The attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, said his client, a Vietnamese construction worker from Los Angeles, was among the migrants woken in the early morning hours and bused from an immigration detention center in Pearsall, Texas, to an airfield where a military aircraft awaited them. After several hours, they were bused back to the detention center around noon, the attorney said on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was first to report that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was poised to deport migrants to Libya, a move that would escalate his immigration crackdown which has already drawn legal backlash. Officials earlier this week told Reuters the U.S. military could fly the migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday, but stressed that plans could change. A U.S. official told Reuters the flight never departed. As of Friday, it was unclear if the administration was still planning to proceed with the deportations. A federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday that any effort by the Trump administration to deport non-Libyan migrants to Libya without adequate screenings for possible persecution or torture would clearly violate a prior court order. Lawyers for a group of migrants pursuing a class action lawsuit had made an emergency request to the court hours after the news broke of the potential flight to Libya. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Nguyen, who declined to name his client, said the man was told on Monday to sign a document agreeing to be deported to Libya. The man, who does not read English well, declined to sign it and was placed in solitary confinement and shackled along with four or five other men, the attorney said. The man was never provided an opportunity to express a fear of being deported to Libya as required under federal immigration law and the recent judicial order, Nguyen said. "They said, 'We're deporting you to Libya,' even though he hadn't signed the form, he didn't know what the form was," Nguyen said. Nguyen said his client, originally from Vietnam, has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s but was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year during a regular check-in. Vietnam declines to accept some deportees and processes deportation paperwork slowly, Nguyen said, making it harder for the U.S. to send deportees there.
The Star
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Migrants told of Libya deportation waited hours on tarmac, attorney says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Migrants in Texas who were told they would be deported to Libya sat on a military airfield tarmac for hours on Wednesday, unsure of what would happen next, an attorney for one of the men told Reuters. The attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, said his client, a Vietnamese construction worker from Los Angeles, was among the migrants woken in the early morning hours and bused from an immigration detention center in Pearsall, Texas, to an airfield where a military aircraft awaited them. After several hours, they were bused back to the detention center around noon, the attorney said on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was first to report that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was poised to deport migrants to Libya, a move that would escalate his immigration crackdown which has already drawn legal backlash. Officials earlier this week told Reuters the U.S. military could fly the migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday, but stressed that plans could change. A U.S. official told Reuters the flight never departed. As of Friday, it was unclear if the administration was still planning to proceed with the deportations. A federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday that any effort by the Trump administration to deport non-Libyan migrants to Libya without adequate screenings for possible persecution or torture would clearly violate a prior court order. Lawyers for a group of migrants pursuing a class action lawsuit had made an emergency request to the court hours after the news broke of the potential flight to Libya. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Nguyen, who declined to name his client, said the man was told on Monday to sign a document agreeing to be deported to Libya. The man, who does not read English well, declined to sign it and was placed in solitary confinement and shackled along with four or five other men, the attorney said. The man was never provided an opportunity to express a fear of being deported to Libya as required under federal immigration law and the recent judicial order, Nguyen said. "They said, 'We're deporting you to Libya,' even though he hadn't signed the form, he didn't know what the form was," Nguyen said. Nguyen said his client, originally from Vietnam, has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s but was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year during a regular check-in. Vietnam declines to accept some deportees and processes deportation paperwork slowly, Nguyen said, making it harder for the U.S. to send deportees there. (Reporting by Ted Hesson, Phil Stewart and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Richard Chang)
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Migrants told of Libya deportation waited hours on tarmac, attorney says
* Migrants told they would be deported to Libya * After waiting on the tarmac, migrants bused back to detention * Trump administration eyeing new countries to send migrants to * US officials say flight to Libya did not take off WASHINGTON, - Migrants in Texas who were told they would be deported to Libya sat on a military airfield tarmac for hours on Wednesday, unsure of what would happen next, an attorney for one of the men told Reuters. The attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, said his client, a Vietnamese construction worker from Los Angeles, was among the migrants woken in the early morning hours and bused from an immigration detention center in Pearsall, Texas, to an airfield where a military aircraft awaited them. After several hours, they were bused back to the detention center around noon, the attorney said on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was first to report that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was poised to deport migrants to Libya, a move that would escalate his immigration crackdown which has already drawn legal backlash. Officials earlier this week told Reuters the U.S. military could fly the migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday, but stressed that plans could change. A U.S. official told Reuters the flight never departed. As of Friday, it was unclear if the administration was still planning to proceed with the deportations. A federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday that any effort by the Trump administration to deport non-Libyan migrants to Libya without adequate screenings for possible persecution or torture would clearly violate a prior court order. Lawyers for a group of migrants pursuing a class action lawsuit had made an emergency request to the court hours after the news broke of the potential flight to Libya. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Nguyen, who declined to name his client, said the man was told on Monday to sign a document agreeing to be deported to Libya. The man, who does not read English well, declined to sign it and was placed in solitary confinement and shackled along with four or five other men, the attorney said. The man was never provided an opportunity to express a fear of being deported to Libya as required under federal immigration law and the recent judicial order, Nguyen said. "They said, 'We're deporting you to Libya,' even though he hadn't signed the form, he didn't know what the form was," Nguyen said. Nguyen said his client, originally from Vietnam, has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s but was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year during a regular check-in. Vietnam declines to accept some deportees and processes deportation paperwork slowly, Nguyen said, making it harder for the U.S. to send deportees there.
Business Insider
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
U.S. considers first migrant deportation to Libya on military flight
The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump may begin deporting migrants to Libya for the first time this week. The Trump administration is considering deporting migrants to Libya for the first time, signaling a shift in immigration policy. Libya, a Mediterranean transit hub, is one of the distant nations the U.S. has approached for accepting third-country deportees. U.S. officials revealed potential military-assisted deportation flights to Libya, though plans remain uncertain. The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump may begin deporting migrants to Libya for the first time this week, according to three U.S. officials, marking a dramatic escalation in its hardline immigration policies. Libya, a key transit route for migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, is also one of several distant countries the U.S. has asked to accept deportees from third countries. Two of the officials revealed that the U.S. military could carry out deportation flights to the North African nation as early as Wednesday, although plans remain fluid and subject to change. Since taking office, Trump has made immigration enforcement a cornerstone of his administration's agenda. His policies have included surging troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, initiating mass deportations, and pushing for harsh deterrent measures to reduce migration. Legal and human rights concerns The latest deportation plans come despite the U.S. State Department's criticism of Libya's detention practices. In its most recent annual human rights report, the department cited Libya's 'harsh and life-threatening prison conditions' and widespread 'arbitrary arrest or detention.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated last week that the administration was considering expanding its list of deportation destinations beyond El Salvador, citing dissatisfaction with the status quo. Libya is among the countries being evaluated, a fourth official confirmed. It remains unclear whether Washington has secured an agreement with Libyan authorities to accept migrants, especially those of non-Libyan nationality.
