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Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration's Plan to Deport Migrants to Libya

Court injunction blocks military flights as Libya denies agreements and human rights concerns escalate.

People walk around in Tripoli's Martyrs Square, Libya, on April 28, 2025.
Libya's capital Tripoli.

Overview

  • A U.S. federal judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the deportation of migrants to Libya, citing violations of due process rights.
  • The Trump administration had reportedly planned to use military flights to deport migrants to Libya, marking a significant escalation of its immigration enforcement strategy.
  • Libya's rival governments publicly denied any agreement to accept deportees, with both the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army rejecting the plan.
  • The U.S. State Department has previously condemned Libya's detention conditions as 'harsh and life-threatening,' raising serious human rights concerns about the proposed deportations.
  • Immigration attorneys filed emergency motions after detainees from countries including Laos, Vietnam, and the Philippines were told they faced imminent removal to Libya.