The Trump administration rushed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court blocked deportations to third countries just minutes before a scheduled flight carrying 70 people was set to depart for three African nations.

Midnight Court Order Grounds Flight

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling Wednesday at nearly midnight, forcing immediate cancellation of a flight from Alexandria, Louisiana bound for Burundi, Rwanda, and the Central African Republic. Lawyers representing immigrants had filed emergency papers hours earlier after hearing from multiple sources about the planned deportation. The Trump administration told the Supreme Court the sudden halt created chaos and required new diplomatic negotiations with all three receiving countries.

Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized the appeals court decision as an order made in the dark of night that stripped authorities of a legal tool to control illegal immigration. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival revealed on social media that 25,000 people in the country illegally have been removed to third nations, calling such deportations an essential public safety measure.

Third Country Deportations Under Fire

The administration has sent thousands of people to more than two dozen countries under largely secret agreements when their home countries refuse to accept them or safe return proves impossible. While Mexico receives most third-country deportations, recipients range from Liberia to Guyana. This month, attorneys for two men sent to Equatorial Guinea reported their clients endured beatings and detention at gunpoint in a hotel converted to a holding facility, where police covered their heads with bags.

The appeals court ruling does not completely ban third-country deportations but requires the government to give individuals a meaningful opportunity to object before removal. Administration attorneys argue this standard would cause unreasonable delays and force renegotiation of agreements with foreign governments. Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote that the lower court decision would obstruct efficient removals by creating excessive delays for any claim of persecution or torture, regardless of merit or timing.

Policy at Center of Immigration Crackdown

The Supreme Court previously permitted deportation flights to continue temporarily when the case reached justices last year. The current appeal comes as the Trump administration pursues sweeping immigration enforcement aimed at deporting millions of people living in the United States illegally. Some deportees have arrived in countries they never heard of before landing and face detention against their will, serious safety threats, or pressure to return to the dangerous home countries they originally fled.