Supreme Court sides with Trump administration on two immigration cases

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration on two immigration cases on Thursday.

In a 6-3 decision, the SCOTUS cleared the way Thursday for the Trump administration to potentially revive an immigration policy once used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The justices overturned a lower court order blocking the practice that limited the number of people who could apply for asylum each day, first under the Obama administration and then expanded during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Advocates said the tactic created a humanitarian crisis as thousands of people settled in unsafe makeshift shelters to await their turn. The Trump administration said it was necessary to deal with an increase in asylum seekers at the border.

In another 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria. This decision could lead to the potential deportation of hundreds of thousands more people. The decision overturns lower court orders and allows the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly end temporary protected status, a program that protects a total of 1.3 million people from 17 countries.

Though the conservative-dominated court has put the brakes on some of Trump’s immigration policies over the last year, it handed him two wins on Thursday, clearing the way for the potential revival of a policy restricting immigrants seeking asylum.