Trump's Border Czar Admits He Has No Idea if Migrants Sent to South Sudan Are Still Being Detained

Border Czar Tom Homan stated that immigrants who have been deported to South Sudan are no longer in United States custody, and that he doesn't know if they are being detained there.

Homan appeared on POLITICO's "The Conversation," speaking to host Dasha Burns about the Trump administration's immigration agenda and the deportation of migrants to South Sudan.

"One thing that the administration has been fighting is with the courts on whether they can deport people who enter the country illegally to countries other than their home nations. In the cases of individuals who have been sent to South Sudan, for example, what happens to them now that they're there? Are they still considered to be in U.S. custody? Or is it now totally up to South Sudan what happens to them?" Burns asked.

"As far as we're concerned, they're free. And we're working with those governments. They're no longer in our custody, they're living in [South] Sudan. And will they stay in [South] Sudan? I don't know," Homan responded.

"When we sign these agreements with all these countries, we make arrangements to make sure these countries are receiving these people and there's opportunities for these people. But I can't tell if we remove somebody to [South] Sudan — they can stay there a week and leave. I don't know," he added.

"Do you know if they're being detained there? Are they in jail? Or are they walking around looking to build a life in South Sudan or going wherever they want to go to from there?"

"I don't know the specifics of the case. If they land in [South] Sudan, they're a public safety threat. I'm sure [South] Sudan is looking at their case and finding out what action they want to take. But, you know, there's like a hundred different endings to this. I just don't know, on every specific case, what their status is," Homan responded.

Attorneys and groups advocating on behalf of migrants have raised issues with deportations to places like South Sudan and El Salvador, nations where many deportees are being sent despite not hailing from.

"When you've got countries that won't take their nationals back, and they can't stay here, we find another country willing to accept them," Homan said, adding that they may not send people to every country that agrees to accept migrants, but want to ensure the tool is available.

"If there is a significant public threat or national security threat — there's one thing for sure — they're not walking the streets of this country. We'll find a third, safe nation to send them to, and we're doing it," he continued.

Originally published on Latin Times