Asian Americans Advancing Justice Condemns Supreme Court Order Allowing Deportations to Third-Party Countries to Continue
STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2025
CONTACT:
James Woo, media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Aleisha Flores, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Liza Ameen, lameen@ajsocal.org
Grace Pai, gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org
ATLANTA, GA – Asian Americans Advancing Justice--the nation’s largest affiliation of independent Asian American civil rights organizations--strongly condemns the Supreme Court’s decision to stop the Massachusetts District Court's order that was safeguarding immigrants from deportation to third-party countries without due process. This ruling empowers the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to unconstitutionally remove immigrants to third countries where they hold no nationality or prior personal ties--without notice or a meaningful opportunity to contest the removal orders. This will further expose immigrants to risks of persecution, torture, and death.
These third-country removals are part of a cruel and calculated policy designed to bypass the refusal of countries of origin to accept deportees. Instead of receiving due process, these vulnerable immigrants are being sent to subhuman detention conditions near the Darien Gap, at Guantanamo Bay and the CECOT prison in El Salvador, and shipping containers on a military base in Djibouti. The actions by the President and DHS are about avoiding legal responsibility and usurping the rule of law.
As Justice Sotomayor powerfully noted in her dissent in the Supreme Court’s decision, this ruling is an incomprehensible abuse of power and effectively “rewards lawlessness” by allowing the government to bypass legal safeguards designed to prevent torture and persecution. The ruling undermines the fundamental principle that all people--regardless of immigration status or history – are entitled to due process and protection under the law.
As organizations working closely with Asian Americans, we are acutely aware of the devastating legacy of exclusionary immigration policies. We stand in unwavering solidarity with all the vibrant immigrant communities affected by this ruling. This decision is not only indefensible; it is profoundly immoral. It erodes essential due process protections and consigns vulnerable human beings to inhumane, life-threatening conditions.
We refuse to stand by as these life-threatening policies are quietly carried out. We call on members of Congress to hold DHS accountable and support efforts to defend against these heinous deportations, including those aiding Southeast Asian and other communities.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of four leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation's members are: Advancing Justice | AAJC (Washington, DC), Advancing Justice - SOCAL, Advancing Justice - Atlanta, and Advancing Justice - Chicago.
