The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the Biden administration to implement immigration enforcement priorities, in what the opinion called “a highly unusual lawsuit” from two Republican-led states.
The high court ruled 8-1 that Texas and Louisiana do not have the legal right to challenge the enforcement guidelines, which instructed federal immigration agents to prioritize for arrest individuals who posed a threat to border, public or national security, or who recently crossed the border.
Lower-court rulings have blocked that guidance for more than a year. Former Homeland Security officials had warned the lack of nationwide immigration guidance could threaten agency operations long-term and make enforcement of immigration laws unequal and dependent on where the migrant happens to live.
