Thousands of illegal immigrants who were allowed to stay in the United States for “humanitarian reasons” will no longer be able to become permanent residents, according to the Supreme Court.
The married couple from El Salvador (shown below) sued in federal court after being denied green card applications. In the 1990s, the couple illegally entered the United States but were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The Supreme Court just made a great favor to American’s safety with a unanimous ruling of 9-0.
Jose Sanchez and Sonia Gonzalez (shown above) are from El Salvador and entered the US twice illegally.
“A grant of TPS does not come with a ticket of admission. It does not eliminate the disqualifying effect of an unlawful entry.” noted liberal Justice Elena Kagan in the majority opinion in Sanchez vs. Mayorkas.
According to Kagan, the House of Representatives has already passed legislation that would allow TPS recipients to become permanent residents. The bill’s chances in the Senate are bleak.
President Joe Biden has stated that he supports the legislative reform. However, like the Trump administration, his administration maintained that current immigration law prevents anyone who entered the country illegally from applying for permanent status.
Immigrant advocacy groups stated that many persons who came to the US for humanitarian reasons had stayed in the US for many years, had given birth to American citizens, and had established roots in the country.
Federal courts around the country had reached differing conclusions on whether TPS designation was sufficient to allow an immigrant to apply for permanent residency.
Former President Donald Trump attempted to terminate the program for many immigrants, raising fears that they might be deported to countries where they had not resided in years.
“All of these families that are established in the United States and have lived in our communities for decades faced a very real threat,” Lisa Koop, a lawyer with the National Immigrant Justice Center and a professor at Notre Dame’s law school, stated.
Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants have TPS, and the Supreme Court’s decision will influence their capacity to become permanent residents, as it should.
Sources: 100percentfedup, documentcloud.org, manilatimes.net