Eight deportees and more than a dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are stuck in a shipping container in East Africa after a judge blocked their deportation flight.
Neither the agents nor the migrants are allowed to leave the container, located at a U.S. naval base in the swelteringly hot Djibouti, until the case is resolved in court, which could take weeks.
The Washington Post reported that the eight deportees, from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, and South Sudan, were charged with crimes by the Trump administration and expelled in late May. After some countries refused to allow them to deport, they were all sent to South Sudan until a U.S. federal judge ruled they had the right to challenge their convictions in court.
Furthermore, the 13 ICE agents fell ill upon arrival and are currently suffering from respiratory infections, in addition to the extreme heat and overcrowding. They, along with the deportees, have been forced to stay in a temporary detention center pending the resolution of the case, with only six beds available.
Court documents filed by Melissa Harper, a senior official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), state that the ICE agents are suffering from “coughing, difficulty breathing, fever, and joint pain,” outdoor temperatures exceeding 38°C (100°F), and a risk of malaria. At night, the air is filled with a “smog” laden with foul-smelling smoke from nearby pits where residents burn garbage and human excrement. The pollution is so severe that some agents have had to sleep wearing masks.
“Upon arrival in Djibouti, U.S. Department of Defense officials warned agents of an imminent threat of rocket attacks by terrorist groups in Yemen,” Harper said. “ICE agents do not have bulletproof vests or other appropriate equipment in case of an attack.”
She added that both agents and detainees became ill within 72 hours of arriving in Djibouti, and that the ICE agents were at risk of contracting malaria because they had not been vaccinated or given prescribed medication before arriving in Djibouti.
The statement also highlighted the detainees’ current living conditions, including being allowed to shower only once a day and being subjected to body searches every time they needed to use the bathroom, which was located more than 40 meters from the container where they were being held.
Lighting in the area is also limited, which “makes visibility difficult and poses a significant safety risk to both agents and aliens.”
“The conference room where aliens are being held is poorly equipped and unsuitable for detention of any length, much less for high-risk individuals,” Harper added. “It should be noted that the room lacks any of the security equipment necessary for the detention of criminal aliens. In the event of a verbal altercation, there is no other space available on-site to separate the aliens, further compromising the safety of agents.”
Trump officials cited Judge Brian E. Murphy’s ruling as evidence of judicial overreach, telling the Supreme Court on Thursday that his order violated the federal government’s authority to deport violent immigrants.
“This Massachusetts judge is endangering the lives of ICE agents by leaving them stranded in Djibouti without adequate resources, without medical care, and by enabling the proliferation of terrorists who hate Americans,” Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on Twitter.
“Our ICEgov agents were only supposed to transfer eight convicted criminals for deportation under final removal orders, and they were so brutal and cruel that no other country accepted them. This is reprehensible and, frankly, disgusting.”
Additionally, attorneys for the deportees have expressed concern about the safety of the detainees and the conditions of DHS detention.
The length of time the detainees and ICE agents will be held in Djibouti remains unknown.
