Federal judge rules Trump's 'third country' deportation policy is unconstitutional

By Fox News · Fox News

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants to so-called "third countries" without first giving them notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal, in a high-stakes case that is likely headed to the Supreme Court. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, comes months after lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit in Boston challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s process of deporting illegal immigrants in the U.S. to so-called "third countries" — countries that are not their home country and were not previously designated in their removal orders. Murphy ultimately sided with the migrants Wednesday, ruling that DHS' third-country removal policy is unlawful and violates due process protections under the U.S. Constitution. "This case is about whether the government may, without notice, deport a person to the wrong country, or a country where he is likely to be persecuted, or tortured, thereby depriving that person of the opportunity to seek protections to which he would be undisputedly entitled," Murphy said. FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING The Department of Homeland Security "has adopted a policy whereby it may take people and drop them off in parts unknown — in so-called 'third countries,' and, ‘as long as the Department doesn’t already know that there’s someone standing there waiting to shoot… that’s fine,’" Murphy continued. "It is not fine, nor is it legal," he said. Neither DHS nor DOJ immediately responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the case or whether the administration plans to appeal the ruling. Murphy also rejected the Trump administration's claim that certain migrants living in the U.S. illegally lacked due process, noting that the clause applies to all "persons" within the U.S., regardless of immigration status. "These are our laws, and it is with profound gratitude for the unbelievable luck of bei…