US Deportations to Africa Draw Due Process Criticism

Immigration attorneys in New York City report that ICE's frequent arrests at Lower Manhattan's immigration court create an intimidating environment that undermines fair judicial proceedings, with some immigration judges allegedly siding with ICE out of fear of retaliation. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's expanded third-country deportation program has sent at least 20 individuals to African nations such as Eswatini, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Uganda, often without ties to these countries or proper legal process. Five men deported to Eswatini have been held in maximum-security prisons without charges or access to legal counsel, prompting legal aid groups to accuse the administration of denying due process. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims that deportees were sent to these countries because their home nations refused to accept them, a claim contested by foreign officials and lawyers representing the deportees. Additionally, recent federal court rulings have blocked some of President Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement policies, citing concerns over violations of immigrants' due process rights, including a halt on deportations of unaccompanied Guatemalan children. These developments highlight ongoing tensions between the Trump administration's immigration policies and legal challenges focused on protecting migrants' rights.