Federal Judge Brian Murphy ruled Trump's 'third country' deportation policy unlawful
The policy violated due process by not giving migrants opportunity to appeal their removal
Migrants could be sent to unfamiliar countries without legal recourse
The ruling is part of ongoing legal challenges to Trump's mass deportation campaign
The decision has been stayed for 15 days to allow for potential appeal to the Supreme Court
📖 Full Retelling
US District Judge Brian Murphy ruled in Washington on February 25, 2026, that the Trump administration's policy of rapidly deporting migrants to third countries instead of their own violates due process rights and is therefore unlawful. In his decision, Murphy emphasized that migrants cannot be sent to 'unfamiliar and potentially dangerous country' without any legal recourse, stating 'it is not fine, nor is it legal.' The judge highlighted that due process is an essential component of the US Constitution, quoting the Fifth Amendment's guarantee that no person may be 'deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.' This ruling represents another significant legal setback in the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, which has faced widespread criticism for neglecting due process rights. Murphy noted that the swift nature of these deportations prevents courts from properly evaluating whether each removal is legal, as officials withhold critical information about the countries of removal. The decision stems from a class-action lawsuit brought by immigrants facing deportation to countries they had no connection to, and while Murphy has previously ruled against similar policies, some of his decisions have been overturned by the Supreme Court.
🏷️ Themes
Immigration policy, Due process rights, Executive authority, Legal challenges
Requirement that courts respect all legal rights owed to people
Due process of law is application by the state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to a case so all legal rights that are owed to a person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it. When a government harms a person without fo...
The federal judiciary of the United States is one of the three branches of the U.S. federal government organized under the U.S. Constitution and laws of the federal government. The U.S. federal judiciary does not include any state court (which includes local courts), which are completely independen...
News | Courts US judge rules Trump policy of ‘third country’ deportations unlawful US judge says that rapid deportation of migrants to countries other than their own violates due process. Listen to this article | 4 mins By Al Jazeera Staff , Reuters and The Associated Press Published On 25 Feb 2026 25 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Add Al Jazeera on Google A United States federal judge has ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump had violated the law through the swift deportation of migrants to countries other than their own , without giving them an opportunity to appeal their removal. US District Judge Brian Murphy declared the policy invalid on Wednesday, teeing up a possible appeal from the Department of Homeland Security to the Supreme Court. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 US immigration judge rejects Trump bid to deport Columbia student Mahdawi list 2 of 3 DHS agent killed US citizen in March last year, records reveal list 3 of 3 Fact-checking Trump’s State of the Union address end of list “It is not fine, nor is it legal,” Murphy wrote in his decision, adding that migrants could not be sent to an “unfamiliar and potentially dangerous country” without any legal recourse. He added that due process – the right to receive fair legal proceedings – is an essential component of the US Constitution. “These are our laws, and it is with profound gratitude for the unbelievable luck of being born in the United States of America that this Court affirms these and our nation’s bedrock principle: that no ‘person’ in this country may be ‘deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law’,” Murphy said. The ruling is the latest legal setback in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Trump has long pledged to remove immigrants from the country who violate the law or are in the country without legal paperwork. But critics argue that his immigration crackdown has been marked by widespread negl...
