US judge blocks deportations of Asian migrants to Libya

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked any deportation of foreigners from Asia to Libya, as President Donald Trump's administration seeks other countries to send migrants from third countries, such as El Salvador.

Judge Brian Murphy ruled that these deportations would deprive immigrants threatened with deportation to third countries, instead of their countries of origin, of any "substantial" opportunity to challenge the measure by resorting to American justice.

His decision followed an urgent appeal by lawyers for migrants from Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam, who were at risk, they argued, of being deported "immediately" to Libya, a country "notorious" for "human rights violations", particularly of migrants.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in late April that Washington was "actively" seeking out other countries, such as El Salvador, to deport third-country nationals.

Two sources familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said at the time that Rwanda was among the countries with which talks were underway to accept migrants under deportation.

At the same time, American media, including CNN, also reported on Libya.

Asked about this, Donald Trump assured yesterday that he was not aware.

The US president promised during his campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, but his decisions to do so are blocked by judges' rulings - something that often causes outbursts of anger from the Republican.

Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU), for its part, denied on Wednesday that it had reached any agreement with Washington to accept people deported by the US.

Plunged into chaos after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has two governments competing for power.

The foreign ministry of the government in eastern Libya also denied "the existence of any agreement or understanding to host migrants of any nationality."

Libya is a transit country for hundreds of thousands of migrants, mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa, who attempt the extremely dangerous Mediterranean crossing in the hope of reaching Europe.

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