A federal judge in Boston has ruled that the Trump administration adopted an unlawful policy allowing immigration authorities to rapidly deport migrants to countries other than their own without giving them a meaningful opportunity to object or raise safety concerns. The judge found that the policy violated due process protections by permitting removals to unfamiliar and potentially dangerous countries with little or no notice.

The policy, introduced in March 2025 as part of a broader immigration crackdown, allowed deportations to third countries if officials received diplomatic assurances of safety or provided migrants with as little as six hours of notice. The court determined that migrants must be given meaningful notice and a genuine chance to challenge such removals.

Although the judge invalidated the policy, he paused the ruling for 15 days to allow the administration to appeal. The case is expected to continue through higher courts, as government lawyers argue the policy is necessary to remove migrants whose home countries refuse to accept them.