The White House got into a heated argument with a federal judge after he said the Trump administration broke the law by not giving certain immigrants a fair chance to challenge their deportation.
The judge, Brian Murphy, criticized the administration for putting a group of people on a plane to South Sudan without giving them enough time or a real opportunity to talk to their lawyers. He said the 12-hour notice they were given was not nearly enough and went against an earlier court ruling. That deportation flight ended up landing in Djibouti instead of South Sudan, at least temporarily.
At a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt fired back, calling Judge Murphy a “liberal activist” trying to force the government to bring back dangerous criminals. She said the people on the flight were convicted of serious crimes like murder and sexual assault, and argued that they didn’t deserve any more chances.
Leavitt also accused the judge of putting U.S. diplomats and agents at risk by requiring them to stay in Djibouti while the legal situation plays out. She insisted the judge had no authority over national security or foreign policy.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) backed up Leavitt’s comments, with a spokesperson calling the judge’s decision “crazy” and saying these people had already had their court hearings and were ordered to be deported. They also listed serious crimes the deported individuals were allegedly involved in.
However, lawyers for the migrants disagreed, saying that no one should be sent to a country like South Sudan which is extremely dangerous without a chance to fight it in court. One woman, whose mother was killed by one of the deportees, told a reporter that even though she doesn’t think the man should have been freed, skipping legal protections isn’t the answer.
The fight highlights a bigger issue: balancing public safety with the legal rights of people facing deportation. The administration says it’s trying to keep dangerous criminals out, while critics argue that everyone deserves due process no matter their past.
