Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Deportation Pause Rule Dispute

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to intervene in a dispute over a Biden-era immigration regulation that had allowed immigration judges to pause certain deportation proceedings. The decision means a court order blocking the regulation will remain in place.

The regulation, which allowed for the administrative closure of deportation cases, was blocked by a court order agreed upon by Texas and the Trump administration. Texas had sued, alleging that the expansion of administrative closures under the Biden administration effectively allowed individuals to remain in the U.S. indefinitely.

Democratic-led cities, including Baltimore, Columbus, Ohio, and New Haven, Connecticut, along with the legal group Centro Legal de la Raza, had sought to intervene to defend the regulation. They argued that the regulation was crucial for helping crime victims and neglected juveniles and should be revived. These groups filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court after a lower court judge denied their request to join the case.

Represented by Democracy Forward, the cities and groups contended that Texas and the Trump administration circumvented the public rulemaking process by agreeing to permanently block the regulation. They claimed this action bypassed necessary administrative procedures.

The Justice Department had urged the Supreme Court justices to reject the appeal. The department argued that the cities lacked the legal standing to challenge the settlement and had not demonstrated that they would suffer immediate harm.