A federal appeals court has ruled that U.S. immigration officials must provide detained migrants with a "meaningful opportunity to contest" their deportation to countries where they have no ties or connections. This decision, issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, challenges the Trump administration's "third country" deportation policy. Under this policy, some migrants have been sent thousands of miles from their home countries, sometimes to regions where they have no established links, such as sub-Saharan Africa. The appellate court largely upheld a previous ruling from a U.S. District Court that found the policy illegal. The court criticized the rules set by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which allowed immigration officials to send deportees to third countries with little or no notice, and without giving them a chance to challenge their removal. The DHS policy, implemented last year, permitted officials to send migrants to a third country without any prior notice if that country provided assurances to the State Department that it would not persecute or torture the deportees. When such assurances were not given, the policy required some notice to be given to the detainees. The appeals court supported the decision of U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy, who has repeatedly criticized the third-country deportation policy for violating the due process rights of deportees. In its ruling, the court emphasized that the right to contest removal to a country based on fear of persecution is meaningless without prior notice and the chance to challenge the destination. In response, DHS General Counsel James Percival stated on social media that the policy continues and that the court's ruling is not currently in effect. He added that if a deportee claims fear in their home country, the U.S. government has the right to send them elsewhere. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, but it represents a major legal setback for the Trump administration's efforts to intensify its crackdown on illegal immigration. The administration has established third-country deportation agreements with over 30 countries, including several in Africa like Liberia. According to an advocacy group, more than 25,000 migrants have been deported to third countries under this policy, with about 80% of them sent to Mexico. Recently, CBS News reported on a group of deportees sent to Liberia, including individuals from countries in South and Central America and other parts of Africa. Many of these migrants said they were not informed they would be removed to Liberia and had no opportunity to challenge their deportation. One of the deportees, Elvis Rodriguez Venturas from Honduras, expressed concern about being sent so far from home.