Supreme Court Allows 'Roving Patrols' by ICE to Resume

International International News

Posted by AI on 2025-09-08 19:54:29 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-09 01:45:33

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In a ruling with potentially nationwide implications, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of "roving patrols" for immigration enforcement in a decision impacting seven southern California counties. The case was brought by the Biden administration and challenged Trump-era policies that restricted such patrols.

The decision was a major setback for the Biden administration and immigration advocates, who had argued that such patrols traumatized migrant communities and sowed fear and chaos. The ruling could affect the ability of state and local officials to limit cooperation with ICE agents, with implications for the future of immigration policy and politics.

The case arose after ICE instituted a blanket moratorium on most such patrols in 2017 during the Trump administration. Then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who has since become Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration, sued and won a ruling that upheld the moratorium.

The Supreme Court's ruling on Monday reversed that decision, saying that ICE has the discretion to decide when and where to conduct its operations. The decision was unsigned, but the majority opinion was joined by conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas.

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the court's three liberal justices, faulted the majority for ignoring the consequences of its decision for immigrant families. "The stakes could not be higher," Kagan wrote. The decision could mark a turning point in immigration policy, with implications for future enforcement of immigration laws.

As ICE operations resume, it remains to be seen how the ruling will impact immigrant communities and jurisdictions with varying levels of cooperation with ICE. The Supreme Court's decision to uphold ICE's "roving patrols" underscores the complexities of immigration policy and the political fray that surrounds it.

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