Washington - Saba:
A US federal judge ruled on Thursday that the administration of President Donald Trump violated a previous court order by seeking to deport migrants to South Sudan.
US District Judge Brian Murphy said during a hearing on Wednesday that the administration violated a preliminary injunction he issued in April prohibiting officials from deporting people to countries other than their countries of origin without first giving them sufficient time to object.
Murphy noted that the US Department of Homeland Security notified seven migrants on Monday evening of their possible deportation to South Sudan less than 24 hours before they boarded their flight, which he described as "clearly insufficient."
The judge, who has not yet announced his intention to address this apparent violation, said, "The Department's actions in this case constitute an unequivocal violation of this court's order."
Murphy stated that officials involved in the unlawful deportations should be aware that they "risk criminal contempt" of court.
Murphy's ruling represents one of the harshest rebukes yet of the Trump administration since returning to office in January.
Trump has pledged a crackdown on illegal immigration and announced sweeping deportation plans since taking office, but many of his efforts have faced legal hurdles.