Cnn
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A federal judge said Wednesday that the expulsion of migrants to Libya or Saudi Arabia, as indicated in the media, would violate his previous order if they had not been given in writing and the opportunity to challenge in advance, according to a new file.
Immigrant defense groups have filed an emergency request for blocking the abolition of migrants in Libya, according to a legal file, after a Trump administration official told CNN that the administration was going forward with plans to transport a group of undocumented immigrants to the country in an American military aircraft.
It is not known when the plane would leave and if other groups of migrants would also be sent to Libya – a country engaged in an ongoing civil conflict – in the future, the official said.
Theft trackers show that a C-17 of the American Air Force has placed a plan to fly Wednesday from Kelly Field in San Antonio at Misrata airport in Libya. The United States has repeatedly used large C-17s to transport migrants in recent months.
Last month, judge Brian Murphy temporarily prevented the Trump administration from deporting people to countries other than their own without predicting first and the opportunity to challenge it. He said on Wednesday that the expulsion of migrants to Libya or Saudi Arabia would violate his previous directive.
“The amendment of April 30, 2025 to the preliminary injunction specifies more than the Ministry of Internal Security cannot escape this injunction by yielding control of non-citizens or the application of its immigration responsibilities to any other agency, including but not limited to the Ministry of Defense,” wrote Murphy.
“If there is a doubt – the court sees none of them – the allegedly imminent moves, as indicated by press agencies and, as applicants, seek to corroborate with class accounts and public information, clearly violates the ordinance of this Court,” he concluded.
The defense groups of immigrants who submitted the request asked the Court an immediate order to retain thefts carrying migrants in Libya or in any other country in addition to that where they are from. They also asked the court to order the return of people sent back to Libya, if necessary.
According to a lawyer quoted in the file, immigration and customs application verbally informed his Philippin client, who has a final dismissal order, that he would be returned to Libya. However, they did not receive written notice.
The White House refused to comment on flight plans. CNN first reported the The administration communicated with Libya Make the country take migrants from the United States. Reuters first pointed out On the potential military flight this week.
The decision to send migrants to Libya, which the UN previously criticized for its severe treatment for migrants, is a new escalation of the President’s expulsion policies – which have been largely political and legal related.
Asked about the potential flight, President Donald Trump said in the oval office on Wednesday: “I don’t know, you will have to ask internal security.”
The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement that it “categorically denies any agreement or coordination with the American authorities concerning the expulsion of migrants to Libya”.
The website of the State Department has a level 4 travel notice for Libya. “Do not travel to Libya due to crime, terrorism, unplodced land mines, civilian disorders, kidnapping and armed conflicts,” reads the site.
A spokesperson for the State Department refused to comment on the expulsion plans, saying: “We do not discuss details of our diplomatic communications with other governments.”
CNN contacted last week a representative of the Libyan general Saddam Haftar, who was in Washington for interviews with officials, to comment on the expulsion plans. The State Department and a Libyan official said that its meetings did not relate to deportations.
A Libyan official told CNN: “The expulsion of migrants in Libya has never been discussed.
Conversations on sending migrants to other African countries, such as Rwanda, continue. But there are no confirmed plans for flights to these other countries at the moment, according to these discussions, familiar sources with these discussions.
Natasha Bertrand, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional developments.