The US Supreme Court is allowing the Trump-era border restrictions to remain in place while GOP led states’ legal challenges to the lifting of the law proceed. Christine Neumann-Ortiz from Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) joins the 8 O’clock Buzz and host Tony Castañeda to discuss the implications of this preliminary ruling and what the future may hold with regards to immigration across the southern US border. Expectation had been that these restrictions would be lifted by the Biden administration, but in a 5-4 preliminary decision the Court is allowing the restrictions to remain until an official ruling is made in June of 2023. Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch sided with the three liberal justices in opposing the stay, observing that the law was implemented to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and that current immigration issues are not Covid related. Ms. Neumann-Ortiz noted that migrant encampments on the Mexican side of the border are subject to violence and abuse from drug cartel activities, and are increasingly at risk of worsening weather conditions. In Wisconsin, the Milwaukee office of VDLF is getting requests for immigration assistance and is considering adding a paralegal to assist in the increase in caseloads.

Photo courtesy of engin alyurt on Unsplash.

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