Today's News: Federal Judge Blocks Administration's Plan to Deport Migrants to Libya
Both of Libya's rival governments denied any agreement to accept these deportees.
Photo: Christian Torres/Anadolu/Getty Images
Overview
Date: May 7, 2025
Topic: Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Plan to Deport Migrants to Libya
Summary: A U.S. federal judge issued a warning and a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration's reported plan to deport a group of migrants to Libya. The judge stated that such deportations would likely violate a previous court order requiring migrants facing deportation to third countries to be given advance notice and an opportunity to contest their removal. This legal action followed reports of a planned U.S. military flight to transfer migrants from various countries to Libya, a nation facing ongoing conflict and criticized for its treatment of migrants. Both of Libya's rival governments denied any agreement to accept these deportees.
Sources
The New York Times: Judge Says Trump Plan to Send Migrants to Libya Would Violate Court Order
CNN: Federal judge says Libya deportation flight could violate prior court order
NBC News: Judge blocks deportation flight of Asian migrants to Libya
The Washington Post: Judge warns Trump administration against Libya deportations
The Wall Street Journal: Libya’s Leaders Say They Haven’t Agreed to Accept Deported Migrants From the U.S.
Fox News did not have any prominent reporting on this story.
Key Points
A federal judge intervened to potentially block the Trump administration's plan to deport migrants to Libya, citing a violation of a prior order ensuring due process for deportations to third countries.
The administration's plan involved using a U.S. military aircraft to transport migrants, reportedly including individuals from Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Libya is considered a dangerous destination for deported migrants due to ongoing civil conflict, human rights concerns, and documented harsh treatment of migrants in detention centers.
Both of Libya's rival governments publicly stated that they had not agreed to accept deported migrants from the United States, undermining the administration's plans.
Immigration lawyers filed emergency motions to halt the deportations, emphasizing the safety risks for the migrants in Libya and the alleged pressure tactics used by ICE to coerce migrants into agreeing to deportation to Libya.
The Trump administration's broader immigration policies have included deportations to third countries like El Salvador, sometimes bypassing or reinterpreting court orders.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times mentioned that the judge's order was in response to a request from lawyers to block a planned U.S. military flight and detailed allegations of migrants in South Texas being pressured to sign documents agreeing to deportation to Libya.
CNN reported that flight trackers showed a U.S. Air Force C-17 had filed a flight plan to Misrata Airport in Libya and noted that the administration was also considering sending migrants to other African countries like Rwanda.
NBC News specified that the planned flight included migrants from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Laos and quoted Libya's provisional Government of National Unity suggesting "some parallel parties that are not subject to legitimacy" might be involved.
The Washington Post included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller's criticism of the judge's ruling as a "judicial coup" and detailed a previous instance where the Pentagon transported immigrants to El Salvador from Guantánamo Bay Naval Station to circumvent a DHS-specific court order. The article also mentioned a meeting between State Department officials and Saddam Hifter, son of Khalifa Hifter, focusing on commercial opportunities rather than deportations.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Libyan officials had previously offered to accept deportees in exchange for political support and listed other countries the U.S. had asked to take deportees, including Rwanda, Benin, Eswatini, Moldova, Mongolia, and Kosovo. It also highlighted that a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster was scheduled to depart for Libya.
Contrasting Details
While all articles reported that both Libyan governments denied agreeing to accept deportees, The Wall Street Journal provided context that Libyan officials had previously been open to such an arrangement in exchange for political support, suggesting a change in stance or a conflict between different factions within Libya.
NBC News mentioned the possibility of "parallel parties" within Libya being involved in discussions about accepting deportees, a detail not explicitly stated in the other articles as a potential explanation for the discrepancy.
President Trump's level of awareness regarding the deportation plan varied in the reporting. The New York Times noted he did not directly answer a question, CNN and The Washington Post reported him saying he didn't know and referring questions to DHS, while The Wall Street Journal also reported his lack of knowledge and referral to DHS. There was no direct contradiction, but the emphasis on his denial differed slightly.
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