Lawyers said on Wednesday that U.S. authorities told some migrants they planned to send them back to Libya. The migrants are not from Libya, and the country has a history of violating human rights. A judge said they cannot be sent back without being able to challenge this decision in court.

This legal dispute arises as the Trump administration advances its agenda of widespread deportations, notably including initiatives to relocate migrants to nations where they lack citizenship. The most contentious instance of these 'third-country' deportations involves sending Venezuelans to a notorious correctional facility in El Salvador.

Sending people being deported to Libya, a country known for its history of mistreating migrants, would be a big step up in the government's effort to get other countries to take in people removed from the United States.

A US official stated earlier on Wednesday that plans were in place to transport migrants to Libya via a military aircraft, though specifics regarding the C-17 flight's schedule were unavailable. The official's remarks were made under the condition of anonymity to facilitate a discussion of military operations.

Immigration lawyers say some of their clients, like people from Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines, were told by immigration officers that they would be sent back to Libya. They also said that some clients were told they would be sent to Saudi Arabia.

Immigration officers in southern Texas gathered six people early Tuesday and told them they must sign a paper agreeing to be sent back to Libya, according to a court document from lawyers helping people from Vietnam. The lawyers said they heard this from the families of the people being held.

When they all said no, they were each put in a separate room and tied up (like being alone) to make them sign it, the lawyers wrote.

In a related instance, legal counsel for a Filipino national notified ICE in San Antonio that his client had discovered he was slated for deportation to Libya. The solicitor stated that his client “is apprehensive about being repatriated to Libya and consequently must be granted an interview prior to any such removal.”

The judge asserted that migrants should be granted an opportunity to challenge deportation orders.

The attorneys appeared before U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts on Wednesday, petitioning for his intervention. Judge Murphy has been presiding over litigation against the Trump administration concerning its practice of deporting individuals to nations where they lack citizenship.

In March, he decided that even if people have used up all their legal options, they cannot be sent away from their home country until they have a real chance to argue that it would put their safety at risk.

On Wednesday, he said that any planned removals to Libya would clearly go against this Court's Order. He also told the government to provide information about the claims.

Beyond the Venezuelans dispatched to El Salvador, the administration has repatriated individuals to Panama and Costa Rica who did not hold citizenship in those nations.

Sending people to another country has brought up many questions about fair legal processes, and especially with El Salvador, if they will be treated badly again.

Beyond these three Central American nations, the Trump administration stated its consideration of other third countries for deportations, offering minimal comment when questioned on Wednesday about the potential inclusion of Libya.

President Donald Trump referred inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security; however, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated during a news conference in Illinois that she could not corroborate media reports regarding potential plans to dispatch individuals to Libya.

The government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, stated on Wednesday that they had "no deal or coordination" with the U.S. to accept migrants. However, they mentioned that "some other groups" might have agreed to take them in.

This seems to allude to its opposing government in eastern Libya, which is overseen by influential military leader Khalifa Hifter. Libya has been divided for an extended period between competing administrations in the east and west, each supported by armed factions and international powers.

The Hifter-led Libya National Army, which holds sway over eastern and southern Libya, also issued a statement, refuting any agreement or understanding to accept migrants from the U.S.

"Regardless of the rationale or explanations provided, there will be no acceptance or accommodation of the migrants within the territories under the control of the Libyan Armed Forces," it stated.

Many reports show that migrants in detention in Libya have been treated badly. U.N. investigators said they found evidence of possible crimes against humanity, such as murder, torture, forcing people into slavery, killing people without trial, and rape.

Migrants told The Associated Press that they were often beaten and tortured while their families were asked for money. Their bodies had signs of both new and old injuries, including marks from bullets and knives on their backs, legs, arms, and faces.