Supreme Court revives Trump’s third-country deportation policy for now

Updated on: September 29, 2026 / 4:00 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily allowed the Trump administration to resume its policy of sending some deportees to countries where they have no ties, while agreeing to hold arguments over the controversial practice.

The high court agreed to pause a February order from a federal district judge that said immigration authorities must give deportees more due process before removing them to so-called third countries. That decision was largely upheld by a federal appeals court earlier this month.

The lower courts said migrants are entitled to notice and the opportunity to challenge their removals before immigration officers attempt to send them to countries that are not their own. But the Trump administration has argued those decisions have prevented the Department of Homeland Security from "efficiently removing aliens," including those with criminal records.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have denied the government's request for emergency relief.

The high court's decision paves the way for the Trump administration to continue relying on a March 2025 policy that allows officials to send deportees to third countries, without notifying them of the destination…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/