The extensive immigration policies implemented by Donald Trump’s administration have been met with counteraction from a federal judge. In a recent ruling, a Massachusetts judge deemed the deportation of immigrants to third countries to which they have no connections whatsoever unlawful, emphasizing that it violated the basic rights of people in the US.
Federal Judge calls Donald Trump’s immigrant policy ‘unlawful’
On Wednesday, February 25, US District Judge Brian E. Murphy not only condemned the Trump administration’s deportation schemes but also provided a detailed explanation behind his decision.
“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 declared, as per The Hindu.
The federal judge also noted that migrants contesting the Department of Homeland Security’s policy have the right to receive a “meaningful notice,” along with a fair chance to voice their objection, before they are deported. In sharp contrast, Donald Trump’s immigration policy “extinguishes valid challenges to third-country removal by affecting removal before those challenges can be raised.”
Murphy also accused Trump and his administration of having bypassed his directions on multiple occasions. For instance, the Defence Department forced the permanent transfers of six class members to El Salvador and Mexico in March 2025, without adhering to the required process listed under the temporary restraining order sanctioned by Murphy.
Additionally, the Massachusetts judge alleged that the Department of Homeland Security was specifically targeting individuals who had received protection under the fear that they would be harmed if deported back to their native countries.
“The simple reality is that nobody knows the merits of any individual class member’s claim because [administration officials] are withholding the predicate fact: the country of removal,” Murphy added.
Since issuing his ruling against Donald Trump’s latest immigration policy, Murphy has agreed to suspend his judgment for a 15-day period in order to enable the government to challenge his decision.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on Mandatory
