Judge says Trump administration violated court order with deportation flight linked to South Sudan

Eight people from Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cuba, Mexico and South Sudan were on a flight intended for South Sudan this week.

After a deportation flight with eight migrants left Texas reportedly intended for South Sudan this week, a federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration had violated a previous order.

U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts said at a hearing that the administration had failed to adhere to an injunction he issued in March that prevented people from being sent to countries other than their own without opportunities to raise fears of persecution or torture.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Wednesday morning that eight people from Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cuba, Mexico and South Sudan had been deported this week. According to DHS, many of them had violent criminal convictions, including murder and sexual assault.

“The department’s actions,” Murphy said, “are unquestionably violative of this court’s order.”

The White House stood by its actions.