Judge Threatening To Halt South Sudan Deportations Affiliated With Group That Rejected Term ‘Illegal’

Judge Brian E. Murphy, the Massachusetts District Court judge threatening to block President Donald Trump’s deportation of illegal migrants to South Sudan, was a member of an organization which objected to using the word “illegal” to describe illegal migrants.

Murphy served as a board member for the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) from 2014-2024, and as the organization’s treasurer from 2016-2023, according to the Senate questionnaire he answered after former President Joe Biden nominated him to the bench in 2024.

In one brief, MACDL argued, “the word illegal . . . is inherently prejudicial, conjuring and activating implicit associations between race, ethnicity, otherness, and criminality,” according to the questionnaire.

Despite being an instrumental member of the organization, Murphy dissented from that view on the questionnaire.

“Yes, it is a crime to enter the United States improperly,” he wrote, adding, “I do not believe it inappropriate to use accurate language.”

Murphy called an emergency hearing Wednesday following Trump’s decision to deport eight illegal migrants to South Sudan. Murphy claimed the action violated a court order barring deportations to third countries.

The men, who hailed from Mexico, South Sudan, Cuba, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos, had extensive criminal histories.

The ‘bad hombre’ migrants Trump is deporting to South Sudan revealed as liberal activist judge tries to halt their removal https://t.co/bN1NjNE5vl

— Abigail Jackson (@ATJackson47) May 21, 2025

Their criminal offenses include homicide, armed robbery, rape and sexual assault. Due to the violent nature of their crimes, their home countries refused to take them back, acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons said Wednesday. (RELATED: ‘Nonpartisan’ Judge Tied To Liberal Activism Arrested For Allegedly Helping Migrant Evade ICE Arrest)

“We have an individual that raped and sexually assaulted a mentally handicapped victim. Because his country would not take him back, ICE had to find a third country to take him back so we could remove this public safety threat,” Lyons said.

These individuals represent the true national security and public safety threats that @ICEgov officers and agents nationwide go after.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons highlights some of the criminal illegal aliens removed from the United States. pic.twitter.com/83oRyhT5QZ

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 21, 2025

Murphy argued the men were not given a meaningful opportunity to object to the deportations,  according to WFMJ. Government officials pushed back, however, noting that the men had extensive histories with the immigration system, giving them ample opportunity to object, WFMJ reported.

Besides being a member of an organization seeking to eliminate use of the word illegal, Murphy also failed to disclose his involvement with a letter seeking to eliminate arrests for crimes like counterfeiting.

During his time as a board member for the MACDL, Murphy’s name was included on the letterhead of a letter titled, “In Reply to the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court,” according to his Senate questionnaire.

The letter sought to “eliminate arrests for all alleged minor infractions such as using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes, as happened to George Floyd, but also for fraught and unnecessary police encounters involving possessory offenses, assault and battery, breaking and entering, and similar offenses.”

Murphy did not initially disclose his involvement in the letter to the Senate after former Biden nominated him in 2024, claiming that he could not find it.

“I diligently searched my own records, my electronic mail and the MACDL website to gather all documents that were responsive to the Senate Judicial Questionnaire. Despite this diligent search, which I conducted multiple times, I did not find this letter nor did I have a memory of it existing,” he wrote to the Senate.

Murphy repeatedly stated that he did not recall any discussions about the letter and did not recall reading it. He also said that he would not be “ready to help implement” the proposals from the letter.