Federal judge blocks Trump administration from removing migrants in Massachusetts

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from deporting a group of migrants overseas, possibly to Libya and Saudi Arabia.

U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy said any effort to remove them “would clearly violate" a previous order by the court.

Two of the plaintiffs had been informed by immigration agents that they were to be imminently removed to the two locations despite being protected by a court order barring their removal.

The filing comes as numerous outlets have reported the Trump administration is exploring sending migrants to Libya despite long-standing State Department warnings about conditions in the country.

The filing was made in an ongoing case where a judge initially barred the removal of the migrants held in detention in Massachusetts.

“Given that class members are now facing imminent removal to Libya in a matter of minutes or hours, Plaintiffs ask this Court for an immediate order restrain[ing] all flights carrying class members to Libya or any other third country, and if necessary, ordering the immediate return of any class members removed to Libya until Defendants provide the Court and Class Counsel with evidence that Defendants have complied with all terms of the preliminary injunction,” the filing states.

The filing indicates the Trump administration planned to send Laotian, Vietnamese and Philippine migrants overseas.

“Multiple credible sources report that flights are preparing to immediately depart the United States carrying class members for removal to Libya,” it states.

“One attorney explains that [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] (ICE) verbally informed his Filipino client — who has a final order of removal — that he would be removed to Libya,” the filing stated.

“Class Counsel has also received a report that Defendants and those working with them may be planning flights to Saudi Arabia. At least one detainee — a citizen of Laos — reported that he had been verbally informed he was to be removed imminently to Saudi Arabia on a military flight.”

The plaintiffs in the case argued they should have an opportunity to apply for protection under the United Nations Convention Against Torture — scoring an initial win before a U.S. District Court judge, though the Trump administration has since appealed.

“This motion should not even be required as it blatantly defies this Court’s preliminary injunctions to remove class members without proper notice,” the attorneys argued.

Murphy agreed, saying his Wednesday order was a “clarification.”

“The Court agrees with Plaintiffs that this motion should not be required, as the relief sought is already provided by the Preliminary Injunction entered in this case,” he wrote.

He added that the Trump administration “may not evade this injunction by ceding control over non-citizens or the enforcement of its immigration responsibilities to any other agency, including but not limited to the Department of Defense.” 

The Trump administration has not responded to reports it plans to send migrants to Libya, with President Trump on Wednesday telling reporters to ask the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS has not responded to multiple requests for comment from The Hill.

Trump is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia next week and also visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The State Department offers a bleak assessment of Libya, rating it as a “Level 4: Do not travel” country due to “crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.”

A 2023 State Department report on human rights in the country described migrant detention facilities in Libya as rife with “severe overcrowding, insufficient access to toilets and washing facilities, malnourishment, lack of potable water, and spread of communicable diseases.”

It also said the facilities had “no access to immigration courts or due process.”

The Trump administration has been criticized for sending Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador where it argued they cannot be reached once they are no longer in U.S. custody.

It has also sent migrants from countries including Iran and China to Panama, where they were initially held in a hotel for several days.

Rwandan officials have also said they are in discussions with the Trump administration to accept deportees.

This story was updated at 5:34 p.m.