Supreme Court declines intervening in immigration regulation that allows judges to pause deportation proceedings after Trump blocked it

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court decided against intervening in a dispute concerning a Biden-era immigration regulation that permitted immigration judges to temporarily halt certain deportation proceedings. A group of Democratic-led cities and the legal organization Centro Legal de la Raza had requested the court's assistance, arguing that the regulation had been utilized to assist crime victims and neglected juveniles and should be reinstated.

Texas and the administration of former President Donald Trump had previously reached an agreement with a court order halting the regulation. Texas contended that the practice, known as administrative closure, had been significantly expanded under President Biden, thereby enabling individuals to remain in the country indefinitely.

The cities of Baltimore, Columbus, Ohio, and New Haven, Connecticut, along with the legal group, had joined the case to defend the regulation. They had submitted an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court following a judge's refusal to permit their involvement. Represented by Democracy Forward, they contended that the collaboration between Texas and the Trump administration had resulted in the regulation being permanently blocked in court, thereby circumventing a public rulemaking procedure.

The Department of Justice had urged the justices to dismiss the appeal, asserting that the cities lacked the legal standing to challenge the settlement and had not demonstrated that they would suffer immediate legal harm.