The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to resume deporting certain immigrants to countries other than their own, granting an emergency request from the Justice Department.
In an unsigned order the justices put on hold a lower-court ruling that had blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s “third-country removal” policy. The policy allows the government to send people with final removal orders to countries that are not listed in those orders, provided the receiving country agrees to accept them. The court’s three liberal justices dissented.
The administration had asked the Supreme Court to intervene after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit allowed a Massachusetts federal judge’s order to take effect. That order required the government to give immigrants notice and a chance to raise fear-based claims before being sent to a third country. The Justice Department argued the lower-court restrictions created logistical problems, forced the cancellation of deportation flights, and hindered its ability to remove dangerous criminals.
The Supreme Court also agreed to hear the full case later this term, with arguments scheduled for the December 2026 argument session. The stay of the lower-court order will remain in effect until the Supreme Court issues its judgment.
