The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied immigration judges the power to temporarily pause deportation cases, upholding the Trump administration’s agreement with Texas. The decision blocks the mechanism for freezing cases, opening the way to faster removals of immigrants from the country.
Reuters reported that the court rejected a request by the cities of Baltimore, New Haven and Columbus, along with the aid organization Centro Legal de la Raza, to immediately reinstate so-called administrative closure. For years, the procedure allowed judges to take off their dockets the cases of immigrants without legal status while other proceedings, such as visa applications or appeals, were pending.
The administration of Joe Biden introduced the rules in 2024 as a tool for streamlining the work of overburdened courts. After taking office in 2025, the Trump administration backed away from it and reached an agreement in federal court in Texas under which administrative closure was invalidated nationwide.
The plaintiffs, represented by the organization Democracy Forward, accused the federal government and Texas authorities of collusion and of creating a “manufactured dispute” that bypassed standard procedures.
“Eliminating these safeguards exposes vulnerable people to a greater risk of deportation and undermines public safety in communities across the country,” the statement said.
According to U.S. government data and statistics, about 360,000 immigrants used administrative closure between 1990 and 2026. Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision is estimated to directly affect hundreds of thousands of people whose cases will no longer be able to be postponed while they wait to legalize their stay. This will significantly increase the number of immediate deportation orders.
From New York, Andrzej Dobrowolski (PAP)
Source: PAP
