Eight migrants held in shipping container for weeks, deported to South Sudan
Eight migrants from six countries were held in a shipping container in Djibouti for six weeks before being deported to South Sudan on July 5, 2025. Six remain unaccounted for, possibly held at a security headquarters.
Sep 5, 2025
Eight migrants from Burma, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, Mexico, and South Sudan were detained in a converted shipping container at a U.S. military base in Djibouti for more than six weeks while awaiting appeals filed by their lawyers. On July 5, 2025, they were deported to South Sudan. ICE agents transporting them described the living conditions as 'outrageous.' Mexican citizen Jesús Muñoz was subsequently repatriated to Mexico in early September, and South Sudanese citizen Peter Domach was released. Six other deportees' whereabouts remain unknown, with lawyers suggesting they may be imprisoned at the Blue House, South Sudan's National Security Services headquarters. The South Sudan government stated it would guarantee their safety but refused to disclose their location or eventual fate.
Timeline
Tags
Sources
- PBS
- Trump administration has floated deporting third-country nationals to Africa. Here's what we know
Associated Press·Jul 11, 2025·archived copy
- Straitjackets and military aircraft: How the Trump administration is making dozens of migrants disappear in Africa
El País·Oct 26, 2025·archived copy
- US deportations to third countries shrouded in secrecy
El País·Sep 5, 2025·archived copy
Show 5 more sources ↓Show fewer sources ↑
Loading…
Related incidents
- Ahmed S.: Gay Arizona man deported, beaten in Equatorial GuineaOct 22, 2026 · Tucson, AZ
- Brayan S.: Deported to Central African Republic despite court orderOct 21, 2026 · Senegal
- Domingo T.Q.: Portland restaurant worker wrongly deported despite judge's order, ICE to return himOct 17, 2026 · Portland, ME
- Mexican men deported from Phoenix on DHS-overseen flightsOct 16, 2026 · Phoenix, AZ
- 15-year-old deported to Honduras after ICE stop in Oklahoma CityOct 13, 2026 · Oklahoma City, OK
- Fatou T.: Iowa mother of four deported to Sierra Leone, where she'd never beenOct 13, 2026 · Florissant, MO