Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The South Sudan National Police Service has said there is no information that Asian nationals reportedly deported by the Trump administration have arrived in the country, and the matter will be referred to an investigation.
This follows international media reports that the migrants believed to be from Vietnam and Myanmar were flown to South Sudan despite a U.S. court order blocking their deportation.
The migrants were reportedly sent to Juba without interpreters, with some said to have limited or no English language skills.
Responding to a question from Eye Radio, Police Spokesperson Major General James Monday Enoka said the public should not panic, as South Sudan has electronic systems in place to detect the identities of all individuals entering the country.
Gen. Monday explained that the country’s system uses artificial intelligence to flag and verify identities, regardless of the information provided by any traveler.
“There is always a committee that sits and investigates these things, and sometimes the person can be deported on the same plane. It depends on the documents. The documents are what determine the case.”
He added that the police will investigate the individuals upon arrival, when they land in Juba.
Gen. James Monday stated that if the deportees are not South Sudanese, they will be deported back with the same plane they used.
“Let them come, we’ll investigate them, and the truth will be established, and then action will be taken. If it is proved that they are not South Sudanese, they will be deported to their country of origin.
“Let us not just get scared when we hear the number, because there are a lot of things happening. So, we cannot deny—anything can happen—but we refer the matters to an investigation.
“So, when they arrive, I will be at the airport, or one of my staff will be there, will know what is happening, I will educate the public and inform the media. But let us not preempt, because they have not yet arrived.”
So far, there is no information on whether any of the deportees had landed at Juba International Airport.
He called on the public to avoid speculating or spreading fear over the reported number of deportees, stressing that investigations will guide the next steps.
The U.S. administration has not officially commented on the reports of the deportation to South Sudan.
However, according to media reports, US immigration attorneys said a flight carrying a dozen people had landed in South Sudan on Tuesday.
US federal judge Brian Murphy, who had barred the Trump administration from swiftly deporting migrants to countries other than their own, ordered their return, saying the move could amount to contempt of his order.
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