Expert: possible US deportations to South Sudan could set "dangerous precedent"

Is the United States sending illegal immigrants to South Sudan?

An analyst said on Wednesday that the Trump administration's actions in reportedly deporting immigrants to South Sudan may set an "extremely dangerous precedent."

The comments from Hassan Khannenje, Director at HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, come as the United States is being asked to explain why it appears to be deporting migrants from as far away as Vietnam and Cuba to South Sudan, a chaotic country that's once again in danger of collapsing into civil war.

The administration said it had expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes in the U.S. but refused to say where they would end up.

If South Sudan is the confirmed destination, that means people from Vietnam, Mexico and elsewhere are being sent to a nation they have no link to, thousands of miles from where they want to be.

"At a time when South Sudan has descended into a conflict spiral that has claimed many lives and displaced tens of thousands. I think that action is not only hypocritical but extremely dangerous and it sets an extremely dangerous precedent when it comes to international peace and security," said Khannenje.

"From a place that's relatively peaceful, that's the United States, to a place that clearly may not exactly be safe for those who are being deported. And this may constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law," added the Nairobi-based analyst.

A US federal judge said Wednesday that the White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with the flight linked to South Sudan, hours after the Trump administration said it had expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes in the United States.

In an emergency hearing he called to address reports that immigrants had been sent to South Sudan, Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston said the eight migrants aboard the plane were not given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could put them in danger.

The Trump administration’s pressure on South Sudan to take in deportees, including foreign ones, is in sharp contrast to Washington’s past warm embrace as its rebel leaders — including Kiir and Machar — fought for independence. Now there is less support than ever for most of South Sudan's over 11 million people because of the cuts in U.S. aid.