The deportees are stuck in Djibouti amid a legal fight over their expulsions. A lawyer for some of the men said she was concerned for their health and welfare.

A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that U.S. officials must retain custody and control of migrants apparently removed to South Sudan in case he orders their removals were unlawful.

The Trump administration has reportedly started deporting individuals from Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in apparent violation of a federal court order prohibiting such transfers, according to court filings submitted by immigration attorneys. Ethical issues arise from sending non-natives to an unsafe region.