Daughter of Murder Victim Speaks Out Against Controversial Deportations to War-Torn South Sudan
The daughter of a German woman murdered by a man from Laos, now one of the individuals controversially deported from the United States to South Sudan, has broken her silence—sharing her family’s deep pain while also criticizing the violation of rights for those removed to nations that aren’t even their own.
Birte Pfleger, now a history professor in Los Angeles, was a student at Cal State University, Long Beach in 1994 when her visiting parents, Gisela and Klaus, were attacked during a sightseeing trip. They were shot by Thongxay Nilakout, a then-teenager committing a robbery. Gisela was killed, and Klaus was seriously wounded.
Now 48, Nilakout was among eight deported individuals from countries such as Mexico, Cuba, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos, controversially sent to South Sudan, a conflict-ridden African nation, under Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies.
In an interview, Pfleger expressed her internal struggle.
“It’s been 31 years of living with irreparable grief,” she said. “Part of me wanted him gone. But as someone who teaches constitutional history, I can't ignore the lack of due process—and that's a serious constitutional issue.”
Since the group’s sudden arrival in South Sudan, the government has offered no clarity on their whereabouts or future. They were previously stranded in Djibouti due to legal roadblocks, but were eventually flown into Juba, the capital of South Sudan, aboard a US military jet just before midnight on July 4.
A lawyer representing the group warned their status is fragile, with families left in the dark since the deportation. Maj Gen James Monday Enoka, a police spokesperson in South Sudan, claimed the men would be investigated, and if found to be non-citizens, they would be repatriated.
“They will be investigated, the truth will be established, and if they are not South Sudanese, they will be deported to their rightful countries,” Enoka stated—yet no further details have been released.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security controversially labeled the group as “sickos”, inflaming tensions even further.
These deportations were initially blocked by US District Judge Brian Murphy, who insisted that the individuals were entitled to advance notice and due process, including a chance to express fear of torture or harm in the country of deportation.
However, in a 7-2 ruling, the US Supreme Court temporarily overruled Murphy, clearing the way for Trump’s aggressive deportation plan.
Shortly after the ruling, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons issued a directive allowing deportations to third-party countries with as little as six hours’ notice, regardless of those nations’ ability to guarantee safety—a move that legal experts have slammed.
“We’ll continue to fight this policy,” said Trina Realmuto, Executive Director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, which is leading a class-action lawsuit against ICE.
The United Nations human rights office has also condemned these deportations, demanding the US stop sending migrants to unsafe third countries. Recent deportations include over 250 Venezuelans sent to a brutal prison in El Salvador without due process, while other migrants have been abandoned in Panama, imprisoned in jungle camps, or dumped in Eswatini—actions critics have called "state-sanctioned human trafficking."
International law, the UN reminded, is clear: No one should be deported to a place where they face a substantial risk of torture, enforced disappearance, or death.
Nilakout, only 17 at the time of the murder, was sentenced to life without parole. But in 2012, the US Supreme Court ruled such sentences for juveniles unconstitutional. After nearly three decades in prison, he became eligible for parole in 2022 and was released the following year—despite opposition from Pfleger.
Following Trump's return to the White House in January, Nilakout was swept up in the new deportation crackdown.
When Pfleger learned he had been shipped to South Sudan, her reaction was one of deep conflict.
“The moral dilemma is clear,” she said. “He should never have been released. But once he was, he should’ve been deported to Laos—not flown secretly to South Sudan, in direct violation of a federal judge’s order. He and the others were denied basic rights.”
Although Pfleger isn’t involved in any victims’ rights advocacy, she remains grounded in the values of constitutional law.
“I’ve read the Constitution and taught its history. Due process rights are foundational, and if we abandon them, we’re all at risk,” she said.
The emotional toll on her and her sister remains intense. Their mother’s murder and their father’s suffering left permanent scars. Now 93, Klaus is frail and still haunted by memories of that day.
“My mom meant everything to him,” Pfleger said.
The South Sudanese government, in a statement, acknowledged the longstanding support from the US during its independence struggle and post-conflict development, implying a quid-pro-quo for accepting the deportees.
Yet, South Sudan’s instability remains severe. From 2013 to 2016, a civil war claimed the lives of 400,000 people. Earlier this year, the US embassy issued a Level 4 travel warning, urging Americans to avoid South Sudan due to crime, kidnappings, and armed conflict.
Even Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, sounded the alarm, posting: “After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war.”
The UN Commission on Human Rights added that the country is undergoing a dangerous backslide, with half the population facing hunger, 2 million internally displaced, and 2 million more having fled to neighboring countries.