The Daily Fuckup

A federal judge ruled on February 25, 2026, that the Trump administration’s policy of deporting migrants to “third countries” where they have no ties is unlawful and cannot stand as written. U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts said the policy denied migrants meaningful notice and a fair chance to challenge their removal before it happened.

Murphy put the decision on hold for 15 days to give the government time to appeal. He said the policy effectively cut off legal challenges by moving people before those challenges could be heard. The ruling follows a string of disputes over the administration’s use of third-country removals, including earlier litigation that reached the Supreme Court.

The judge’s order focused on process, not politics. But it still lands as a significant constraint on a core enforcement tactic the administration has used when it says migrants cannot easily be sent back to their home countries. Murphy wrote that the Constitution’s due-process protections apply here, too, and that the government cannot sidestep them by changing the destination after removal starts.

The ruling does not end the broader fight over deportations, and the administration can still seek relief on appeal. But for now, the court has drawn a clear line: if the government wants to use third-country removals, it has to do so in a way that gives affected people notice and a real chance to object before they are gone.