U.S. administration reportedly starts deporting migrants to South Sudan

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration has reportedly started deporting Myanmar and Vietnamese migrants to South Sudan, despite a court order prohibiting such removals to third countries, media reported, citing court documents filed by the migrants' attorneys.

Deportees from several countries told the judge that U.S. immigration authorities "may have sent" them to Africa, said the U.S. media report.

As some countries refuse to accept deportees from the United States, the Donald Trump administration has made deals with other nations, such as Panama, to take them in.

According to court documents, an email from an immigration official in Texas confirmed the deportation of a Myanmar migrant. The man, who has limited English proficiency, was notified in that language only. His attorneys said they were informed of the deportation just hours before the flight.

A woman also reported that her husband, a Vietnamese national, was among up to 10 people flown to Africa on Tuesday morning, said the report, citing attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance.

Such deportations would violate a court order requiring that individuals be given a "meaningful opportunity" to argue that being sent to a country other than their homeland would endanger their safety, the attorneys said.