The U.S. Supreme Court offered a reprieve to thousands of illegal immigrants facing deportation in a 6-3 decision on Thursday.
The decision split the court’s conservative six-justice majority, with three breaking ranks to join with the court’s liberal wing. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett joined with their liberal colleagues. The case concerned whether the U.S. government is required to provide defendants in deportation cases with a single, comprehensive document detailing the case against them, rather than providing the information in several separate documents.
The facts of the case involved Agusto Niz-Chavez, an illegal immigrant who lived in Michigan since crossing the border in 2005. The court’s decision overturns a low court’s ruling against Niz-Chavez that prevented him from moving forward with a request to revoke his deportation due to the length of his U.S. stay, according to Reuters.
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 23: Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on April 23, 2021. Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. (Photo by Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)
“In this case, the law’s terms ensure that, when the federal government seeks a procedural advantage against an individual, it will at least supply him with a single and reasonably comprehensive statement of the nature of the proceedings against him,” Gorsuch wrote in the ruling. (RELATED: Former Border Officials Say Biden’s Mass Amnesty Proposal Will Worsen Migrant Crisis)
While the ruling does not outright cancel any deportations, it will slow the process down for thousands the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently has cases against. It will also give many the possibility to restate the cases for canceling their deportations, according to Reuters.
The ruling comes as President Joe Biden faces a worsening crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, with record numbers of apprehensions and crossings by minors.
The crisis on our southern border is the worst I’ve ever seen.
That’s why my colleagues and I are urging President Biden to take swift action to address the crisis and reverse the dangerous immigration policies that created it.#BidenBorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/KH0IJ96Oea
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 26, 2021
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported around 22,100 unaccompanied migrant minors were in custody as of Tuesday and another 1,135 were in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities.