The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that immigrants cannot band together in court to challenge immigration policies.
In the 6-3 decision, the court ruled that lower federal courts do not have the power to grant injunctive relief to an entire class of immigrants, holding that the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1252(f)(1) bars class-wide injunctive relief.
Justice Samuel Alito, in an opinion, wrote that the statute "generally prohibits lower courts from entering injunctions that order federal officials to take or to refrain from taking actions to enforce, implement, or otherwise carry out the specified statutory provisions."
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a partial dissent, joined by Justice Elena Kagan and joined in part by Justice Stephen Breyer, that the majority opinion "elevates piecemeal dictionary definitions and policy concerns over plain meaning and context."
"I respectfully dissent from the Court's blinkered analysis, which will leave many vulnerable noncitizens unable to protect their rights," she wrote.
The challenge, Garland v. Gonzales, was brought by immigrants who brought a class-action lawsuit against the government for its practice of detaining certain individuals for more than six months.
In another immigration case, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can continue to detain certain immigrants in removal proceedings regardless of how long they may be held.
The justices in a 9-0 decision ruled that Section 1231(a)(6) does not obligate the U.S. government to provide bond hearings after six months of detention.
The case, Johnson v. Arteaga-Martinez, involved a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. without authorization and was ordered removed.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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