The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday regarding removal proceedings against an immigrant legally in the United States, charged with counterfeiting.
The case has the potential to affect the operations of Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and immigration courts, said Art Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies.
“If the Supreme Court affirms the 2nd Circuit, it will make it much more difficult for ICE and border agents to determine that a green card holder with a criminal offense coming back into the United States is inadmissible,” Arthur, a former immigration judge, told The Daily Signal. “This could potentially impact the capacity to keep terrorists out of the U.S.”
The case itself has an interesting backstory, as the plaintiff, Muk Choi Lau, a Chinese national, was charged with counterfeiting before leaving the country but was convicted after returning and being placed on parole.
The case is Blanche v. Lau, renamed for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after initially being Bondi v. Lau for former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
There are two key questions in the case, Arthur said.
