US justifies sending migrants to South Sudan

The US Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday justified its decision to deport Asian migrants to South Sudan -- one of the world's poorest countries and in the throes of internal conflict -- but suggested it was not their last stop.

Department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin slammed a federal judge for suspending the expulsion, accusing him of "trying to force the United States to bring back these uniquely barbaric monsters," insisting they had committed violent crimes.

The judge in Boston on Tuesday ordered the government to "maintain custody... of class members currently being removed to South Sudan or to any other third country, to ensure the practical feasibility of return if the court finds that such removals were unlawful."

Donald Trump campaigned for president promising to expel millions of undocumented migrants, and he has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations since returning to the White House in January.

Trump claims that the United States is facing an "invasion" from foreign criminals. But his mass deportation efforts have been thwarted or stalled by numerous courts, including the Supreme Court, over concerns that migrant rights are being ignored.

When asked how many people were being deported to South Sudan, McLaughlin told reporters there were only eight people on the flight.

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"Because of safety and operational security, we cannot tell you what the final destination for these individuals will be," she said.

When pressed on the question, she said: "We're confirming the fact that that's not their final destination," though she never named South Sudan as the stopover country.

"They're still in DHS custody," McLaughlin told the press conference, when asked if the administration was respecting the judge's decision. "We are following due process under the US Constitution."

The judge in question, Brian Murphy, also temporarily blocked the government from expelling Asian migrants to Libya earlier this month.

While the government said the people scheduled for expulsion had ample warning, lawyers for a Vietnamese national and a citizen of Myanmar said in court filings that their clients only learned the night before or on Tuesday, when the flight left.

The attorneys argue that the government violated an earlier order by not allowing their clients time to file for protection under the UN Convention against Torture.