ICE Agents Stranded in Africa: What to Know

The standoff in Djibouti highlights growing humanitarian concerns over U.S. immigration policy and the treatment of deportees.

"The use of shipping containers to detain people is heinous and enraging —and coupled with the extreme heat, disease, and threats of rocket attacks in Djibouti, can be deadly," Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of Detention Watch Network said in a statement shared with Newsweek.

Massachusetts District Judge Brian Murphy allowed a request from government attorneys to temporarily hold a group of deportees in U.S. custody in Djibouti. The purpose was to provide the individuals with a "reasonable fear interview," giving them an opportunity to present claims that they could face persecution or torture if sent to South Sudan. The judge did not mandate their transfer to Djibouti but approved the government's proposed plan.