The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with the Trump administration, allowing the deportation of eight illegal immigrants held at a U.S. military base in Djibouti to South Sudan. In a 7–2 ruling, the justices confirmed that their previous stay from June 23 fully blocked a Massachusetts judge’s order that had restricted “third-country” removals—deportations to nations not named in removal orders. The decision effectively overturns a lower court’s injunction that had required extra safeguards to prevent deportations to countries where migrants might face torture.

Justice Elena Kagan joined the conservative majority, while Justices Sotomayor and Jackson dissented sharply. Sotomayor warned that the ruling could expose deportees to grave danger, writing that the government intends to “send the eight noncitizens it illegally removed from the United States… to South Sudan, where they will be turned over to local authorities without regard for the likelihood that they will face torture or death.” The Trump administration, represented by Solicitor General D. John Sauer, argued that the lower court’s restrictions were “wreaking havoc” on immigration enforcement and interfering with national security and diplomacy. The decision marks a major victory for the administration’s hardline deportation policy and a setback for immigrant-rights advocates seeking judicial oversight of third-country removals.