Illegal immigrants staying in US can’t apply for permanent status, says SC

Washington, June 7

The US Supreme Court on Monday refused to let immigrants who have been permitted to stay in the US on humanitarian grounds apply to become permanent residents if they entered the country illegally, siding with President Joe Biden’s administration.

The judges, acting in an appeal by a married couple from El Salvador who were granted so-called Temporary Protected Status, unanimously upheld a lower court ruling that barred their applications for permanent residency, also known as ‘green card’, because of their unlawful entry.

The case could affect thousands of immigrants, many of whom have lived in the US for years. Biden, who has sought to reverse many of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, had opposed the immigrants in this case, placing the president at odds with immigration advocacy groups and some of his fellow Democrats.

A federal law called the Immigration and Nationality Act generally requires that people seeking to become permanent residents have been “inspected and admitted” into the US. At issue in the case was whether a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which gives the recipient “lawful status”, satisfies those requirements.

Justice Elena Kagan said “because a grant of TPS does not come with a ticket of admission, it does not eliminate the disqualifying effect of an unlawful entry”. — Reuters