Supreme Court Declines Immigration Case Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a challenge to a Biden-era immigration policy that let immigration judges suspend certain deportation proceedings. The justices rejected an emergency appeal filed by Democratic-led cities that wanted the policy reinstated.

The policy, known as "administrative closure," allowed cases to be paused indefinitely, Texas argued in its lawsuit. Texas and the Trump administration reached a consent decree that blocked the policy after the state filed suit, and the cities that sought to intervene said the agreement bypassed the normal rulemaking process.

Baltimore, Columbus, Ohio, and New Haven, Connecticut, along with the Centro Legal de la Raza legal organization, asked to join the case to defend the policy. A judge denied their request to intervene, and the cities then filed the emergency appeal with the Supreme Court. They are represented by Democracy Forward.

The cities argued the policy was used to help crime victims and minors left without support. The Justice Department urged the justices to deny the appeal, saying the cities lacked standing to challenge the agreement and had not shown immediate legal harm.