Overview

• South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that on July 5 all eight deportees from the United States landed at Juba International Airport after being held at a U.S. military base in Djibouti since late May.
• The group includes migrants from Cuba, Mexico, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and one South Sudanese citizen who are now undergoing selection procedures and supervision under national legislation and international norms.
• One of the deportees, Mexican national Jesús Muñoz Gutiérrez, was arrested by U.S. immigration authorities on May 12 and sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder.
• A U.S. Supreme Court decision last month lifted a federal injunction that had paused third-country expulsions, allowing the Biden administration to continue transfers initiated under President Trump.
• Mexico’s foreign ministry says it was not notified of Muñoz’s removal and is gathering information to seek diplomatic intervention on his behalf.