US Supreme Court questions permanent residency for some migrants

Some of the justices are sceptical that protected migrants who entered the US illegally should be offered legal citizenship.

US Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared reluctant to let people who have been allowed to stay in the United States on humanitarian grounds apply to become permanent residents if they entered the country illegally. The justices heard arguments in an appeal by a married couple from El Salvador who were granted so-called “Temporary Protected Status” of a lower court ruling that barred their applications for permanent residency, also known as a green card, because of their unlawful entry. The case could affect thousands of immigrants, many of whom have lived in the US for years. President Joe Biden’s administration opposes the immigrants in the case. The dispute puts Biden, who has sought to reverse many of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, at odds with immigration advocacy groups and some of his fellow Democrats.