The US Supreme Court was the scene Tuesday of a dispute tinged with partisan politics over a measure by the Joe Biden administration that would prioritize the deportation of people who are in the country illegally and pose the greatest danger to public safety. .
It was unclear whether the debate – which lasted more than two hours and turned acrimonious at points – will cause judges to allow the measure to take effect or lean in favor of the Republican-ruled states that have so far managed to block it. .
At the center of the debate is a directive from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of September 2021 that pauses deportations, except in the cases of people who have committed acts of terrorism, espionage or “major threats to the public security”. The directive, passed after Biden took office, updated a Trump-era measure that expelled anyone in the country illegally regardless of whether they had a criminal record or ties to the community.
11 million illegals
On Tuesday, the government’s attorney general, Elizabeth Prelogar, told the judges that federal law “does not create an inflexible mandate to apprehend and expel” each of the 11 million immigrants who are in the country without legal permission.