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NEW: Emergency motion asks First Circuit if its decision overturning DHS's third-country removal policy is effective immediately or not. They cite my reporting, and reveal tomorrow's ICE flight to make TCR stops in Central African Republic, Rwanda and Burundi. www.courtlistener.com/docket/72347...

Career milestone unlocked:

Gotta appreciate the “or issue the mandate” as the third request in the motion, because it is literally “can you please complete your paperwork since lives are at stake tyvm”

Well that was fast. The First Circuit said, "Did we stutter? Overturned means overturned." 🏆 bsky.app/profile/chri...

DHS really tried to go on one last ride. Wild wild stuff.

Lmao sure looks like they tried to do it using the MAGA billionaire's plane. This is the only one among the jets ICE uses for Africa trips that was in position for the planned TCR. Typically they get to the staging airport 20 hours before departure for crew rest. zeteo.com/p/this-famil...

Now we need to know if this ICE flight headed for Ghana has third-country nationals onboard. If so, it needs to bring them back. The emergency ruling is binding immediately, which includes planes in the air. Any lawyers or anyone else with standing think they might know someone onboard? File!

This is May 20, 2025 all over again. DHS trying to ignore Judge Murphy with a plane in the air.

I am contacting Talon Air to let them know about the decision.

I’ve asked DHS and Talon Air if there are third-country nationals onboard and if they plan to turn the plane around.

I’ve asked a human rights attorney in Ghana who represents third-country nationals what he sees at the airport.

This plane has landed.

BREAKING: The plane appearing to have been scheduled to fly third-country nationals to 3 African countries today—before an appeals court prohibited it last night—has taken off, landed at Gitmo (Somalis in ICE camp there) and is now in San Juan, a common refueling stop for ICE flights to Africa.

Plus, an ICE charter plane that was in the air when the appeals court said its bar on third-country removals was effective immediately, has since landed in two known TCR countries—Ghana and Liberia. Story to come at @prospect.org

NYT you better credit me as reporting this first this time I swear to God

LAWYERS! Here are links to flight data you can put in your filings: Mesa-Ghana-Liberia plane: globe.adsbexchange.com?icao=a63864&... Alexandria-Gitmo-PR-airborne to Africa plane: globe.adsbexchange.com?icao=a3ec5c&... bsky.app/profile/dani...

I want to be clear: I don’t know if there are/were third-country nationals on either of these planes, but these absolutely are ICE flights. Ghana and Liberia are known third-country national “hosts,” and the Gitmo plane is the only one in ICE’s charter fleet that fits the description of the CAR trip

Story publishing soon

Lotta new info here. And a wild response from DHS’s Micah Bock. prospect.org/2026/09/24/j...