Supreme Court allows Trump deal blocking immigration judges' discretion

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 28 Oct, 14:39 · Archive

The Supreme Court has allowed an agreement between Texas and the Trump administration to eliminate a Biden-era immigration rule without issuing a public explanation for its decision. The rule, adopted in 2024 and known as administrative closure, gave immigration judges discretion to temporarily pause certain deportation proceedings, particularly for migrants pursuing immigration relief through other federal proceedings.

Texas sued the federal government in 2025, arguing that the rule had been adopted without proper legal authority and that it effectively allowed people to remain in the country indefinitely. The Justice Department agreed with Texas and requested that the rule be vacated. District Judge Reed O'Connor, a George W. Bush appointee, granted the request, and the Supreme Court's decision leaves that lower court ruling in place.

The cities of Baltimore, Columbus, Ohio and New Haven, Connecticut, along with the immigrant legal advocacy group Centro Legal de la Raza, sought to intervene in the case to defend the Biden-era rule. They argued that eliminating administrative closure could lead to residents being deported, reducing their tax revenues and affecting public services. The group filed an emergency appeal before the Supreme Court after being denied permission to intervene in the lower court.

Opponents of the settlement accused Texas and the Justice Department of colluding to circumvent standard administrative procedures. They argued that the two sides had worked together despite being on opposite sides of the lawsuit, allowing the Trump administration to bypass the public rulemaking process typically required to undo government policy. The Justice Department urged the Supreme Court to deny the appeal, saying the cities had no legal standing to challenge the settlement.

Supporters of the discretion policy contend that it provides relief for victims of crime and juveniles in immigration proceedings by removing cases from an overburdened court system. The Supreme Court's decision now prevents immigration judges from using administrative closure to pause deportation cases.

How it is being reported

• Trump's unusual legal gambit against Biden-era deportation rule pays off at Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court allowed a Texas-DOJ agreement ending the Biden-era administrative closure rule that let judges delay deportation proceedings.Fox News · 28 Oct, 14:19
• Supreme Court sides with Trump order to block Biden-era regulation that allowed judges to pause deportationsThe Supreme Court declined to intervene Tuesday in a dispute over a Biden-era immigration regulation that allowed immigration judges to pause some deportation proceedings.New York Post · 27 Oct, 21:43
• Supreme Court clears way for Trump administration immigration dealThe Supreme Court ruled that it will allow an agreement between Texas and the Trump administration to move forward, affecting immigration court rules.UPI · 27 Oct, 19:10

In this story: Trump administration · Texas · Ken Paxton · Biden administration · Baltimore · Columbus · New Haven

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log