Overview

• U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy halted the migrants’ deportation to South Sudan pending reasonable fear interviews; officials instead moved eight detainees alongside 13 ICE staff to Djibouti in late May.
• The eight migrants come from six countries—Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan, Vietnam—all convicted of serious crimes in U.S. courts.
• Court documents show both groups suffer symptoms of bacterial upper respiratory infections within 72 hours of arrival; full diagnostic testing remains unavailable.
• Security risks escalate as the converted container lacks detention apparatus, houses occupants in cramped quarters with limited lighting, remote restroom facilities requiring strip searches.
• The case spotlights the Trump administration’s strategy to offload immigration detention to foreign bases; critics ranging from immigrant advocates to U.S. military officials warn against substandard overseas confinement deals.