The United States Supreme Court has temporarily allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to third countries while it reviews the legality of the policy. The order, issued ahead of oral arguments scheduled for December, lifts lower court restrictions requiring migrants to be given an opportunity to object before being expelled to countries with which they have no prior connection.

The court’s decision permits the administration to continue implementing a policy that sends individuals awaiting deportation to countries other than their own. Under a network of agreements, the government has deported roughly 25,000 migrants to more than two dozen nations, including Liberia, Guyana, and primarily Mexico. These bilateral arrangements involve 31 countries that have agreed to accept non-citizens the U.S. deems removable. Federal officials say they seek assurances from these countries that deportees will not face persecution, torture, or other serious harm.

Critics of the policy express concern over the risks posed to migrants sent to unfamiliar nations. Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, which represents migrants challenging the policy, noted that the Supreme Court order “has now allowed the administration to resume sending people to third countries where they may face persecution, torture, imprisonment, or other grave danger.” She emphasized, however, that the court’s action does not establish the legality of the policy, which is to be examined on an expedited schedule.

Reports have documented troubling conditions faced by deportees in some of the recipient countries. Investigations have revealed incidents of mistreatment, including allegations of migrant detainees being hooded and beaten at facilities in Equatorial Guinea. Some migrants, including those without criminal convictions and those found to be at risk of persecution, have been sent to countries where they had no prior ties and in some cases have been imprisoned or subjected to violence.

The administration maintains that sending individuals to third countries is a lawful and essential component of immigration enforcement, particularly for those who cannot be returned to their home countries or whose home countries refuse their return. United States Attorney General Todd Blanche described the policy as “an entirely lawful and critical tool for immigration enforcement."

This development emerges amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to intensify immigration enforcement, including plans to deport millions residing in the U.S. unlawfully. Last week, a lower court’s injunction halted a deportation flight carrying approximately 70 migrants destined for three countries, illustrating the ongoing legal clash over the administration’s approach to immigration policy and enforcement.