The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting immigrants to third countries without providing them a hearing, as the case moves to a final legal test. Over 25,000 people have been deported to 29 countries under the policy since its implementation last year, with the majority going to Mexico.
The decision lifts a lower-court ruling that blocked the practice, which the Trump administration has used to expedite deportations. The policy allows the deportation of immigrants to countries other than their home nation, including politically unstable regions like South Sudan and Uganda.
The court has set the case for arguments in December over the constitutionality of the policy and the power of lower courts to stop it. The administration argues that the policy is necessary for removing 'worst of the worst' offenders whose home countries refuse to accept them, while critics say it violates the rights of immigrants by denying them a hearing over potential persecution in third countries.