The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling that restricts its ability to deport non-citizens to South Sudan.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that US District Judge Brian Murphy ruled the government cannot deport individuals to South Sudan without first giving them a "meaningful opportunity" to contest their deportations to third countries where they may face danger.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued immigration law grants the executive branch broad authority to deport people to third countries willing to accept them, claiming Murphy's order usurps that power.

The administration asserted the judge's injunction disrupts "sensitive diplomatic, foreign-policy, and national-security efforts."

'Detained at military base'

The dispute arose from the US' attempts to deport eight men, seven of whom were not South Sudanese citizens, to South Sudan. Murphy mandated deportees must be interviewed with attorneys and interpreters present, requiring three days' notice before interviews, and 15 days to challenge third-country deportations.

The government complained Murphy's order was burdensome, forcing them to detain deportees "mid-flight — thus forcing the government to detain them at a military base in Djibouti not designed or equipped to hold such criminals.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) characterised the deportations as part of a "diplomatic and military security operation," emphasising that the deported individuals had serious criminal convictions.

The case is part of a larger pattern of litigation against the Donald Trump administration's immigration policies, with Trump and his allies criticising Murphy as an "activist judge."