愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Biden aministration seeks Supreme Court OK on deportation policy

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents transfer an immigrant into the ICE Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, after an early morning raid, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents transfer an immigrant into the ICE Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, after an early morning raid, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Share

The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to allow it to put in place guidance that prioritizes deportation of people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk.

The emergency request to the court follows conflicting decisions by federal appeals courts in recent days over a September directive from the Homeland Security Department that paused deportation unless individuals had committed acts of terrorism, espionage or "egregious threats to public safety."

The federal appeals court in Cincinnati overturned a district judge's order that put the policy on hold in a lawsuit filed by Arizona, Ohio and Montana.

But in a separate suit filed by Texas and Louisiana, a federal judge in Texas ordered a nationwide halt to the guidance and a federal appellate panel in New Orleans declined to step in.

The administration turned to the Supreme Court in the latter case, asking that the policy be allowed to be put in place nationwide, or at the very least, everywhere outside Texas and Louisiana.

The judge's order "is disrupting DHS's efforts to focus its limited resources on the non-citizens who pose the gravest threat to national security, public safety, and the integrity of our Nation's borders," Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in the Supreme Court filing.

The guidance, issued after Joe Biden became president, updated a Trump-era policy that removed people in the country illegally regardless of criminal history or community ties.

Even while disagreeing on many aspects of the immigration issue, the two administrations did find common ground in one respect, calling for the court to limit the power of "single district judges to dictate national policy."

Prelogar, following her predecessors in the Trump administration, bemoaned an explosion of lawsuits filed by states of one party against a president of the other party. Too many of those suits, she wrote, resulted in orders with nationwide effect. Judges typically decide cases in ways that only affect the parties before them.

The states have until Wednesday to respond, and an order from the Supreme Court is not expected before late next week.

The Biden administration request comes one day after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order authorizing state forces to apprehend migrants and return them to the U.S.-Mexico border, pushing the boundaries of their enforcement powers and the Republican's escalating efforts to curb the rising number of crossings.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, asked Friday about the order, said "Immigration enforcement is a federal authority and states should not be ... meddling in it. That is just, especially Texas Gov. Abbott, who has a track record of causing chaos and confusion at the border."

It remained unclear Friday how Abbott's order would be carried out on the ground or whether any apprehensions or transports had already taken place. Ericka Miller, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the state police agency could not discuss operational specifics.

Customs and Border Protection commissioner Chris Magnus, speaking at a news conference in Washington, said his agency has a shared interest with the Texas DPS and other agencies "in maintaining a safe, orderly, humane immigration process."

"We stand ready to work with Texas to achieve these goals but the challenge is when any state such as Texas takes unilateral action that just makes it harder for us to do this," he said.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING

BREAKING

Four people are dead and another is in hospital following a fiery crash in downtown Toronto that happened overnight on Lake Shore Boulevard.

A haunted house in the Ontario Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

BREAKING

BREAKING

Quebec鈥檚 Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) is investigating after police in Gatineau, Que. shot and killed a man who allegedly stabbed an officer during an investigation.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.