US Supreme Court denies bid to halt immigration judge deportation case pauses

Key facts

• The US Supreme Court denied a request to halt administrative closure in immigration cases.
• The decision upholds an agreement between the Trump administration and Texas.
• Administrative closure allows immigration judges to temporarily postpone deportation cases.
• Critics argued the practice allowed undocumented immigrants to remain in the US indefinitely.
• The Biden administration had codified administrative closure procedures in a regulation.

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to reinstate the authority of immigration judges to temporarily postpone deportation cases. The justices denied an emergency request by three US cities, including Baltimore, and an immigrant legal advocacy group to halt the agreement between the Trump administration and Texas that bars the practice, known as administrative closure, while litigation continues. The court's one-sentence order offered no explanation. Immigration judges had used administrative closure for decades to manage busy dockets, particularly when other proceedings could prevent removal. Critics, including Texas, argued it acted as an indefinite amnesty for undocumented immigrants.