Judge temporarily halts U.S. deportations of migrants to Libya

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the U.S. government from deporting migrants to Libya or any third country, following an emergency motion filed by immigration attorneys, NBC News reports.

U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said a U.S. military aircraft is standing at the ready to transport the migrants as early as this week, the New York Times reports.

Lawyers representing migrants from countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Laos claim Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Texas told the migrants they needed to sign documents consenting to deportation to Libya. The lawyers allege that when the migrants refused, they were separated and pressured into signing the documents.

The consideration of Libya as a deportation destination follows a previous controversy in which the administration deported a group of Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they are now being held in a maximum-security prison originally built for terrorists.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated at a recent Cabinet meeting that the U.S. is “actively searching for other countries to take people.”

Both Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Unity in the west and the rival administration led by Khalifa Haftar in the east have denied any agreement to accept deported migrants from the U.S.

Saddam Haftar, son of Khalifa Haftar, visited Washington last week to meet with U.S. State Department officials.

A spokesperson for the State Department declined to discuss the specifics of diplomatic communications. The Department of Homeland Security also refused to comment on deportation plans involving Libya.

Libya has faced ongoing criticism over its treatment of migrants. A 2023 report by the United Nations’ Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya concluded that crimes against humanity were likely committed against both Libyans and migrants throughout the country.