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The Supreme Court dealt the Trump Administration another legal blow on Thursday. After deliberations, the court has ruled 5-4 in favor of “Dreamers,” children of immigrants to the US. Notably, Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote in the decision. Roberts is generally considered a conservative voice on the bench, but has been known to vote in a more moderate fashion.
The decision related to the federal government’s attempts to defund the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Also known as DACA, the program protects the children of immigrants who move to the US. The program allows children to avoid deportation on the basis of their age. By siding with Dreamers, the Supreme Court has shut down a major policy goal of the Trump Administration.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has made issues of immigration central to his platform. He campaigned on the promise of building a border wall between the US and Mexico. His characterization of Mexican immigrants as a criminal element drew condemnation during the election season.
In the intervening years, many of Trump’s proposed rollbacks of Obama-era protections for immigrants have been challenged in court. Thursday’s decision marks the first major repudiation of Trump’s immigration policy at the national level. Chief Justice Roberts’ decision to side with the “liberal wing” of the court came as a surprise to some pundits.
Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts felt the federal government was not giving a detailed enough reason for wanting to shut down the DACA program. Roberts wrote that the Trump Administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act. This means that the documents calling for the end of the DACA program failed to address parts of the policy.
The decision comes in the midst of a very rough week for the Trump Administration. The president’s approval rating is plummeting. Protests calling for the defunding of police have also dented the president’s reputation.
Protesters are calling for a number of concessions from cities in regards to police departments. Many wish to see armed police largely replaced by community social workers. For instance, the decriminalization of drugs and the creation of more inpatient rehab center facilities are a high priority for some.
What’s more, the Supreme Court has already dealt a blow to the Trump Administration this week. On Monday, it handed down a 6-3 decision protecting LGBT workers under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
