2025.6.2 - Last week, the Trump administration defied a judge's order and placed eight community members, including long-term residents of the U.S., on a deportation flight to South Sudan without due process. The community members, most of whom were born in countries including Mexico, Cuba, and Vietnam and have no ties to South Sudan, a country facing a serious armed conflict and which has been given a level 4 "do not travel" warning by the US State Department due to the risk of kidnapping and violence. Meanwhile, the flight itself remains stranded in Djibouti. In response to these developments, an array of community, immigrant rights, and civil rights organizations issued the following statement(s):
As human beings, our lives have value—regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or how much money we have. Yet the Trump administration is trampling our most cherished principles, defying the rule of law and shipping people who are immigrants off to countries they have never been to and where their lives are in danger. It shocks the conscience that the US government would attempt to deport individuals to South Sudan given the country conditions there. The Trump administration must return the deported community members to the United States and ensure they receive due process.
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC works to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. Follow us at www.ilrc.org, and @the_ILRC on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and TikTok. Also follow us on Bluesky @the-ilrc.bsky.social, and on Facebook.
The National Immigration Project is a membership organization of attorneys, advocates, and community members who believe that all people should be treated with dignity, live freely, and flourish. We litigate, advocate, educate, and build bridges across movements to ensure that those most impacted by the immigration and criminal systems are uplifted and supported. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow the National Immigration Project on Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @NIPNLG.
The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) was founded 28 years ago, in response to the passage of harsh 1996 immigration laws that supercharged the U.S. arrest-to-deportation pipeline. IDP engages at the national level in federal advocacy, narrative change, and litigation of the criminal grounds of removal. IDP also works on the ground in New York, to provide legal advice and training, develop actionable community education materials, support strategic litigation, and advocate for policy change at the city and state levels. Follow us at www.immdefense.org/about/newsletter and @immdefense (Instagram, Threads, Facebook and Twitter/X).
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC has a mission to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.