President Joe Biden signed a proclamation on January 20, his first day in office, declaring that “no more American taxpayer dollars [shall] be diverted to construct a border wall,” ending his predecessor’s plans to spend billions of dollars appropriated for the military on this wall.
The same day, then-acting Secretary of Homeland Security David Pekoske issued a memorandum that curtailed the Trump administration’s “remain in Mexico” policy. That policy forced tens of thousands of migrants who seek asylum in the United States to wait in Mexico while their cases were being processed (the Trump administration stopped processing these cases last March, citing the Covid-19 pandemic).
Retired ICE agent Victor Avila, whose partner was murdered by a drug cartel in Mexico, provides insight on President Biden’s border agenda.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to a request by the Biden administration to remove two immigration-related cases from its upcoming calendar because they were no longer necessary due to policy changes by the new administration.
In a brief order, the high court agreed to the request to remove the cases from its upcoming oral argument calendar. The motions to hold further briefing in abeyance and to remove the cases from the February 2021 argument calendar are granted, the order said.
Supreme Court delays oral arguments on border wall and asylum rule
The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to postpone oral arguments in significant cases regarding former President Donald Trump’s border wall and a controversial asylum policy.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden’s Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to delay the arguments. The Justice Department said Biden has directed a “pause in construction” so that the administration can undertake an assessment “of the legality of the funding and contracting methods used to construct the wall.” The American Civil Liberties Union, Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition asked the Supreme Court last year to block the construction the wall.
Supreme Court Cancels Arguments in Immigration Cases at Biden Administration’s Request
The Supreme Court granted the Biden administration’s request on Feb. 3 to cancel upcoming oral arguments over two legal challenges to former President Donald Trump’s signature immigration-related policies.
The cases, now held in abeyance pending possible settlement discussions, dealt with the construction of a wall on the nation’s southern border to stem the flow of illegal aliens, and Trump’s policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims are adjudicated. The Supreme Court had only agreed to hear the cases on Oct. 19, 2020, after the Trump administration sought a review of lower court decisions. Trump’s term in office ended Jan. 20.