ICE’s Six-Hour Deportation Rule Sparks Backlash Amid Legal Concerns

In a rapidly unfolding immigration development, a July 9, 2025, internal memo from ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons confirmed a new rule allowing the U.S. government to deport migrants not just to their country of origin but to third-party nations with as little as six hours’ notice. The policy is already being enforced following a controversial June 2025 Supreme Court decision, and cases have emerged where migrants were flown to South Sudan and Chad, even if they had no legal, familial, or cultural ties there. ICE states this is to “expedite backlog removal and enhance deterrence,” but critics argue it represents a humanitarian crisis and potential violation of international asylum laws.

While ICE maintains that migrants will still have access to legal counsel, immigrant advocacy groups claim the short timeframe makes that nearly impossible. In Los Angeles, over 30,000 protestors marched through downtown between June and mid-July, demanding a repeal of the policy. Notably, many deportations have occurred in the middle of the night—raising comparisons to Cold War era “ghost flights.” According to leaked data, more than 3,200 individuals have already been processed under the new policy in just two weeks. Legal scholars are especially concerned that many deportees are being sent to countries experiencing civil conflict or lacking diplomatic protections, which could violate the Refoulement principle of the 1951 Refugee Convention, prohibiting nations from sending individuals to places where they face danger. The controversial rule has sparked global condemnation, with international human rights observers urging Congress and the UN to investigate potential abuses of power.