The Supreme Court’s conservative majority delivered President Donald Trump a pair of significant affirmations of his immigration policy Thursday, paving the way for the administration to effectively remove more than 1 million people from the US and keep many others from entering in the first place.
The decisions, both of which were written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito over scathing dissents from the court’s three liberals, will have a sweeping impact on asylum claims at the US border and on a program known as Temporary Protected Status, a form of humanitarian relief that allows beneficiaries to live and work in the country legally.
There was also tension in the courtroom between the justices, as liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor took the symbolic step of reading her dissent from the bench. Alito then retorted publicly, stunning court observers accustomed to decorum from the justices.
The tension will likely build as the 6-3 court announces more decisions next week.
Here are the key takeaways from Thursday’s major victories for the Trump administration’s efforts to limit immigration.
