Migrants Deported To South Sudan Were Deceived, Told They Were Being Sent From Texas To Louisiana: Report

The eight men deported to South Sudan were deceived by immigration enforcement officials, being told they were being sent on a short trip from Texas to Louisiana rather than their actual destination when first taken out of the country, according to a new report.

The Intercept reported that the episode took place in May, when the group was taken to Djibouti. They were kept there for weeks, shackled and held in shipping containers. They are now in South Sudan after being expelled this past weekend.

The outlet quoted lawyers for three of the men, who recounted that they were lied to after resisting being taken to Africa. However, they were then taken onto a plane in the early hours of the morning and then flown without their knowledge or consent.

The men's deportation to south Sudan took place after a high-profile legal battle over the fate of the men culminated when two federal judges rejected a last-ditch attempt by immigration rights advocates to halt their removal from U.S. soil.

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin described the deportations as "a win for rule of law, safety and security of the American people" through an official statement on the DHS website. She went on to refer the men as "barbaric criminal illegal aliens," adding that "these sickos were finally deported to South Sudan on Independence Day."

McLaughlin said some of the deportees were so violent "even their own countries will not accept them," and thanked ICE law enforcement officers for their role in the operation. The rest of the men hail from Laos, Myanmar, Sudan, and Vietnam.

Among those deported are two Cuban nationals (Enrique Arias-Hierro and José Manuel Rodríguez-Quiñones, both residents of Florida with an extensive criminal record) and one Mexican national (Jesús Muñoz Gutiérrez, convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment).

Human rights advocates have expressed concern over the deportations, citing the dangers the men could face in South Sudan, including detention, torture, or worse. Trina Realmuto, attorney with the National Immigration Litigation Alliance told CBS News: "The U.S. State Department warns Americans against all travel to South Sudan, yet deported these men there without any due process. Make no mistake about it, these deportations were punitive and unconstitutional"

The Justice Department has said that South Sudan provided "credible diplomatic assurances" that the men would not face torture, but the details of their treatment remain unclear.