ACLU of Nevada reacts to new U.S. Supreme Court Rulings on Immigration

LAS VEGAS – In three rulings this week related to immigration policy, the United States Supreme Court weakened due process and equal protection standards.

In Mullin V. Dahlia Doe, the Supreme Court’s decision has allowed for the Trump Administration to end a legal protection covering thousands of Syrian and Haitian migrants who have come to the U.S. after fleeing instability and violence in their home countries.

In Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, the court’s decision will enable the government to continue turning away asylum seekers before they reach the U.S.-Mexico border and other ports of entry. In a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor writes that the results of the ruling will be “predictable.” “More people will die. More people will attempt to cross the border illegally, and some will make it while others will not,” she writes.

In Blanche v. Lau, the court’s decision will allow immigration officers to deny green card holders admission into the U.S. if they have been accused of a crime. In a dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writes that the ruling goes against the principle of innocent until proven guilty and could place thousands of legal permanent residents into an “immigration limbo.”

ACLU of Nevada executive director Athar Haseebullah (he/him) said:

“The court’s immigration rulings this week are both very serious and very problematic, and we’re assessing the full impact of how they’ll ultimately reverberate in Nevada, including key language within the decisions that may carry over into other areas outside of the immigrants’ rights context. As most Nevadans know, we will continue to fight for every community targeted by those who wish to destroy America’s promise of equal protection. Next week’s likely decisions in Barbara, the ACLU’s case on birthright citizenship, Hecox/B.P.J., equal protection for trans people, and Watson, mail voting deadlines, are likely to have major impacts in Nevada, and we are closely monitoring those decisions too, as they may spur additional statewide litigation. We know the reality is that the fight for equal rights will be achieved through action, not despair, and we won’t be backing down.”