A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants to Libya or any other third country without first giving them notice and an opportunity to claim protection under U.S. law, after reports surfaced of an imminent military flight carrying detainees to the North African nation.

“If there is any doubt—the Court sees none—the allegedly imminent removals, as reported by news agencies and as Plaintiffs seek to corroborate with class-member accounts and public information, would clearly violate this Court’s Order,” Murphy wrote in his May 7 ruling.

“This motion should not even be required as it blatantly defies this Court’s preliminary injunctions,” attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote, while describing Libya as a country “notorious for its human rights violations.”

According to filings in the case, some plaintiffs had previously been granted protection from removal to their home countries under the Convention Against Torture but were later told they could be sent to third countries not included in their original orders.

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

The case comes amid the Trump administration’s broader effort to expand its deportation program and explore new destination countries for foreign nationals ordered removed from the United States.

President Donald Trump recently questioned whether individuals who entered the United States illegally are entitled to the same due process rights as citizens.

In an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump said that such a requirement would mean “we'd have to have a million or two million or three million trials,” suggesting that a fast-tracking of deportations of proven illegal immigrants may be the most appropriate solution.

The president added that his administration’s lawyers “are going to obviously follow” U.S. Supreme Court rulings in this regard.