The US Supreme Court on September 29 issued a temporary order allowing the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own. Here is what it means.

What changed: the order lifts, for now, a lower-court block on ‘third-country’ removals. The administration says the policy is needed to carry out deportations when migrants’ home countries refuse to take them back.

Why it is temporary: the justices have not ruled on the underlying legality. Full arguments are expected in December, and the current order only governs the months in between.

What critics say: migrant advocates argue deportees face danger and due-process violations when sent to countries with which they have no ties. The administration counters that the programme is lawful and necessary.

What next: deportations to third countries can proceed for now, but December’s full hearing will decide the policy’s fate. The ruling will be one of the term’s most closely watched immigration cases.