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HOLY SHIT. In a sworn statement yesterday, an ICE agent told a federal judge that an ICE flight to Equatorial Guinea had been cancelled and so couldn't be used to bring Ahmed Soliman back to the United States. The plane just landed in Equatorial Guinea. prospect.org/2026/10/23/t...

When told the aircraft had landed in EG, lawyers for Ahmed Soliman said they would file an emergency motion as soon as possible. This story is breaking and will be updated. prospect.org/2026/10/23/t...

If you comment “what, like you’re surprised that ICE lied?” or something similar on this, it’s an automatic block.

It’s taking off.

Story is updated with attorneys’ emergency filing, video from activists who watched the plane board yesterday, and news that the plane has taken off. Still awaiting response from the judge. 🤷🏻‍♀️ prospect.org/2026/10/23/t...

Fellas is it good when the judge has to reiterate you're under penalty of perjury? Status hearing at 5pm Arizona time. Judge wants someone other than the ICE agent to answer his fucking questions about this plane (my interpretation of his order).

Guess what, another ICE flight is gonna fly right by EG in about two hours. This is the one that expelled more third-country nationals to Eswatini this morning. (It’s also the same plane that violated Judge Murphy’s order in DVD vs. DHS on May 20, 2025.)

Rather than prepare for their status hearing with Judge Hinderaker (a Trump appointee!), DOJ is asking the appeals court to issue an emergency stay on the judge's orders, arguing judicial interference. (sorry no courtlistener link, I couldn't find!) ca9-showdoc.azurewebsites.us/26-6950

I sought an emergency stay when my client was scheduled for third country removal. The Ninth Circuit didn’t act on it until after the plane had taken off. 🤷‍♂️

Did your client get returned?

No. It was a tragedy.

Here’s where the plane is as we reach the deadline for the status report. Heading from Burundi to the Central African Republic, exactly as I reported on Wednesday, a flight plan ICE told the judge had been cancelled. It is scheduled to fly past EG again tonight on its way back to Dakar.

Pathetic. “We didn’t lie because the ICE flight that landed there was a regular deport and not a third-country removal”? So what! They’re the same flights! The other two stops are still TCRs. And once again, ICE provides someone without personal knowledge. ICE is playing in the judge’s face.

The docs I have say 25 detainees were supposed to be expelled to EG. So ICE either took the third-country nationals meant for EG off the plane before it left Alexandria, or they expelled those folks to Burundi or CAR instead? And decided that that ~somehow~ made it impossible to return Soliman?