The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to deport eight immigrants held at a U.S. military base in Djibouti to South Sudan, overriding a lower court’s restrictions on such transfers.

The justices issued a brief ruling this week affirming that the eight detainees fall under the Court’s previous order, which blocked a Massachusetts federal judge’s decision that had constrained the government’s deportation authority. The lower court ruling had required the administration to follow specific safeguards before sending immigrants to nations not specified in their removal orders.

What the Lower Court Decided

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy had previously ruled that the federal government could only transfer immigrants to “third countries”-nations not listed in their original removal orders-if it implemented protections to prevent torture upon return. Murphy’s decision came after he learned the administration had attempted to move the eight individuals to South Sudan in violation of his injunction.

The State Department classifies South Sudan as unsafe for travel due to “crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict,” and has ordered all non-emergency American personnel to leave the country. Rather than complete the planned journey, the aircraft carrying the migrants landed in Djibouti, where the group has remained in custody at a U.S. military facility.

The Supreme Court’s Action

The justices’ decision effectively nullifies the lower court’s safeguard requirements for deportations to countries not explicitly named in removal orders. The ruling enables the administration to proceed with the transfer without the additional protections Judge Murphy had mandated.

This story has been updated. CNN’s legal affairs desk contributed to this report.