Administration Appeals Ruling on Third-Country Deportations

Why it matters locally: While Minnesota does not directly border any countries that might be considered 'third countries' for deportation purposes, federal immigration policy shifts can affect the flow and processing of asylum seekers and immigrants who may eventually reside in the state, potentially impacting social services and resettlement agencies.

The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to intervene after a federal court halted a policy allowing the deportation of individuals to third countries. This legal challenge temporarily stopped a central tenet of the administration's immigration strategy. Attorneys for the administration filed an appeal to the nation's highest court following the lower court's decision. That ruling specifically prevented the government from deporting people to countries that are not their home nations.