At a press briefing, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin refused to confirm that South Sudan was the final destination of newly deported illegal immigrants.
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00:00Thank you. Could you talk more about the agreement with South Sudan once these people were going to arrive there?
00:07Was the agreement that they would be incarcerated, much like the SICA prison conditions in El Salvador?
00:12And were each of their home countries actually notified?
00:16In other words, did you try to send them back to their home countries before you made this decision?
00:21Yeah, I would caution you to make the assumption that their final destination is South Sudan.
00:25As far as that agreement goes, I would definitely refer you to the State Department's four specifics.
00:31But perhaps, Madison or Todd, you'd like to add something here?
00:33So, sure. Yes, I can say that their home countries refuse to take these individuals back.
00:40ICE is bound by Zavidas, which is a Supreme Court decision.
00:44Again, I've always said ICE detention isn't punitive.
00:47We detain or remove.
00:49After six months or 180 days, if we don't have a country that will take their citizens back,
00:53we do have an option to find a safe third country.
00:56And in all these cases, these individuals were from countries that were recousitrant
01:00or had impediments or life sentences that led to them not being able to remove their home nation.
01:07So for that, ICE would go ahead and follow the laws enacted by Congress to find a safe third country.
01:11South Sudan is considered a safe third country?
01:14So I can't talk as far as the State Department and agreements made at this administration
01:18as far as where this final destination is for these individuals.
01:22So, again, I refer you to the State Department.
01:25I think we'll take one more. Priscilla?
01:33In a court declaration yesterday evening, one of the attorneys said that when she reached out
01:39about her Burmese clients that she was told by an officer that it was South Sudan.
01:44So can you confirm that it is one of the countries, at the very least, that you are working with
01:49to accept these nationals?
01:51And anything more that you can share about the process by which immigrants in detention
01:56are being notified if they're going to be sent to a third country and what that looks like?
02:00Yeah, absolutely.
02:01We are following due process under the U.S. Constitution.
02:04These individuals have been given, and their lawyers have been given, plenty of prior notice
02:09as far as those actual agreements.
02:11We can get back to you with more information from the State Department.
02:14Todd, anything to add there?
02:15No, I would just say the same thing, that, you know, we do follow the current laws and restrictions
02:21that do bar us by safe third countries.
02:24And I would just say that I would refer you to the State Department, not necessarily on
02:27any final destination that these individuals may or may not be going to, but the State
02:31Department has a multitude of countries that they are working with for safe third countries.
02:35So I would refer you back to the State Department.
02:38Just one quick question.
02:40You're saying to not conclude that we're going to South Sudan.
02:43DHS is streaming this press conference right now with the headline that says DHS press
02:47conference on migrant flight to South Sudan.
02:50Sure.
02:50So is the department then confirming that this flight is going to South Sudan?
02:55We're confirming the fact that that's not their final destination.
02:58So, I mean, we have deportation flights that logistically move internally within, domestically
03:03within the United States.
03:04That doesn't mean that their last stop is internally within the interior of our country.
03:08So absolutely not.
03:10But before we leave, you'll know that I have not given, we gave you the names of these heinous
03:15individuals, but we didn't say them out loud.
03:17But what we should be saying out loud is the name of the American victims, these people
03:22who they've victimized.
03:23And I've rarely seen anyone in our press corps actually write about American victims.
03:29So I would encourage you, I would implore you to start writing about Americans and not
03:33just doing the bidding of these disgusting individuals.
03:36Thank you for your time today.
03:37And we'll see you next time.
03:39Can you just clarify, has a flight actually left the United States?
03:42Is it?
03:43Yes, ma'am.
03:43Okay.
03:44Thank you all.