The US Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the administration of President Donald Trump to continue deporting migrants to countries other than their countries of origin while the justices consider the legality of the policy. The court’s order temporarily puts on hold an appeals court ruling that had restricted the administration’s use of third-country deportations. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments over whether migrants must be given a meaningful opportunity to challenge their removal before being sent to countries where they have no established ties.

The case concerns a policy under which the Trump administration has deported people to countries that are not their own, often under agreements that have received limited public attention. According to federal authorities, the administration has used a series of arrangements with other countries to facilitate such removals. Around 25,000 people have been deported to more than two dozen countries under these arrangements, including Liberia and Guyana. The vast majority, however, have been sent to Mexico.

The dispute centers on the procedures that must be followed before a person is removed to a third country. The migrants involved in the litigation argue that they should have a meaningful opportunity to object if the United States plans to send them somewhere other than their home country. Their concerns focus on the possibility that they could be transferred to countries with which they have no connection and without sufficient opportunity to raise objections before the deportation takes place.

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The Trump administration has defended the deportation policy as part of its broader immigration enforcement programme. Federal attorneys told the Supreme Court that the appeals court ruling had immediate practical consequences, including forcing the cancellation of a deportation flight carrying about 70 people who were scheduled to be sent to three countries. The administration has argued that restrictions imposed by lower courts interfere with its ability to carry out deportations and negotiate arrangements with other governments.

The Supreme Court had previously allowed the administration to temporarily continue third-country deportation flights when the dispute came before the justices last year. Tuesday’s order similarly allows the policy to remain in effect while the court considers the underlying legal questions. The justices’ decision at this stage does not resolve whether the administration’s policy ultimately complies with US law. Instead, it preserves the administration’s ability to carry out the deportations while the broader legal challenge moves forward.

The upcoming Supreme Court arguments are expected to focus on the procedural protections available to migrants facing third-country removal. A central question will be whether existing immigration procedures provide an adequate opportunity for affected individuals to object before they are transferred to another country. The case could determine how the administration may use third-country agreements in future deportations and what notice and opportunity to challenge removal migrants must receive before such transfers are carried out.

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