US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that court orders issued by an American federal court have disrupted sensitive diplomatic efforts in Libya, exacerbated political and security divisions in the country, and heightened instability in Tripoli.
This came in a filing submitted by Rubio to the federal court in Massachusetts, in support of an urgent request by the US government to suspend the court’s orders that prohibit the deportation of foreign nationals deemed a threat to US national security under the Alien Enemies Act.
Rubio stressed that “the premature disclosure of certain operations has disrupted the government’s coordination with key Libyan partners and increased instability in Tripoli… It has also delayed the implementation of carefully negotiated agreements over several months.”
The US Secretary of State added that the negative impact of these judicial interventions extends beyond Libya to include other countries, thereby harming broader American interests.
"The State Department’s ability to negotiate and implement high-level diplomatic agreements is severely undermined when local court orders directly conflict with ongoing foreign policy operations,” it said, noting that “the timing and broad scope of these orders have had a chilling effect on partners’ willingness to continue dialogue.”
A US federal judge had previously issued a ruling preventing the deportation of Asian migrants to Libya. The ruling came in response to an emergency petition filed by lawyers representing migrants from Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam, who argued their clients faced imminent deportation to Libya.
Prior to that, US media outlets revealed preparations for flights from the United States to Libya, carrying a number of immigrants.
